Niloufar Shiri is a kamancheh player and composer who began her musical journey at the Tehran Music Conservatory in Iran. She later immigrated to the U.S. to pursue her studies in composition at the University of California, San Diego, and Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (ICIT) at the University of California, Irvine. Niloufar’s musical world lies at the intersection of classical Iranian music, contemporary music, and improvisation. Through her music, she explores the concept of displacement in relation to familiar and distant environments, and examines textural and timbral spaces, drawing inspiration from staggered pitch relations found in the Radif, as well as poetry, bird sounds, noise, and feedback. Her unique and radical approach to kamancheh performance significantly expands the sonic capabilities of the instrument and places her at the forefront of its practice.
Niloufar Shiri
