Projects and Bands
Projects
Solo Setarist
This is a solo project featuring the electric Setar, incorporating effect pedals and vocals. My aim is to present this as a modern evolution of traditional Iranian music, where classic melodies serve as the foundation, while effect pedals and looping stations are used to create rich, layered compositions.
In this project, my approach is to explore Iranian traditional music in a more abstract way by focusing on a single theme (melody/gooshe) and delving deeply into it to convey my story.
Hamdam Sessions
Hamdam (in Persian) literally means "the person who shares the same air to breath". In Iran a close friend is called Hamdam. Friends who share emotions and thoughts freely without being afraid of judgment. Using the Hamdam concept, I would like to create environments where the audience and performer are sharing emotions and thoughts without this fear of being judged and both contribute to the performance. Music is acoustic, and improvised. Listening is the most important factor in these sessions. Everybody has a chance to express their feelings and contribute to the performance.
more info:
Hermap project
A residency program organized by Bozar and Goethe institute.
Ehsan Yadollahi (Setar and Tar) together with AnnaMaria Ignarro (Clarinet) explored improvisation on lullabies to use them as a story telling tools.
This project consists of a compilation of materials divided into audio and visual components. With our research focusing on lullabies from Gilan (a province in north of Iran), we decided to create interpretations of three different lullabies. One was recorded together with clarinet and setar and the other two were recorded as a musical response to each musician's interpretations based on two separate lullabies.
https://www.bozar.be/en/calendar/hermap-art-projects
A lullaby tells stories of motherland
The idea of this residency is to emphasize more on similarities between people with different backgrounds rather than the differences. For this, I use lullaby as a storytelling form of music.
I would like to find musicians with different backgrounds in Brugsepoort, playing one (or more) lullabies from their home countries. Those lullabies will be learned and covered with influences from other cultures and improvisation.
more info:
https://dekoer.be/residentie/ehsan-yadollahi/
MuSiKa
In partnership between De Centrale and MSK (Museum of Fin Arts Gent), Shalan Alhamwy and Ehsan Yadollahi compose music inspired by ten masterpieces of the collection of the museum.
The music will be recorded in 2018 into a CD as a musical audio guide of these works.
Musicians of different backgrounds and nationalities are invited to take part in the recording sessions, melding the different styles together.
Bands
Raha
This is a journey through our dreams and imaginations. A new experience for the performers and audience to hear each-other's story. Making the music more expressive by visualizing it via visual art. The whole performance is an improvisation expressing my own feelings at the moment. The visual artist illustrates the thoughts according to her own observations. The idea is to promote the art of improvisation, being at the moment of now, being honest with yourself, and open to share stories. Integration is another concept considered in this performance. To show there are no borders, boundaries, and limitations to understand each other and get connected, if everyone tells the truth.
