composer

Reza Vali was born in Ghazvin, Iran in 1952 and began his studies in music at the Conservatory of Music in Teheran. In 1972 he went to Austria to study composition and music education at the Academy of Music in Vienna. He earned his Ph.D. in music theory and composition from the University of Pittsburgh in 1985. He is currently a faculty member of the school of music at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.

Reza Vali was born in Ghazvin, Iran in 1952 and began his studies in music at the Conservatory of Music in Teheran. In 1972 he went to Austria to study composition and music education at the Academy of Music in Vienna. He earned his Ph.D. in music theory and composition from the University of Pittsburgh in 1985. He is currently a faculty member of the school of music at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.

Vali's compositions include pieces for large orchestra, string quartet, piano and voice, electronic and computer media, and chamber ensemble. His awards include the honor prize of the Austrian Ministry of Arts and Sciences, two Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships, grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and commissions from the Kronos Quartet, The Boston Modern Orchestra, The Seattle Chamber Players, The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and The Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. In December 1991 the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust selected him as Outstanding Emerging Artist for which he received the Creative Achievement Award. Composer David Stock has called Reza Vali "the most brilliantly successful composer since Bartok to combine ethnic folk music and Western classical music in a unique way that is as appealing as it is original."

Vali's compositions have been performed in the United States, Europe, South America, Mexico, Hong Kong, and Australia and are recorded on the New Albion, MMC, and ABC Classics labels. His first string quartet, composed for and premiered by the Kronos Quartet, was hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "urgent, cogent and tautly dramatic."

Performances

Moonshine Room at Club Café | April 30, 2013
Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory | March 10, 2006
Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory | March 24, 1999
Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory | February 13, 1998

News and Press

[Concert Review] BMOP looks east for fascinating program

To write a concerto for an indigenous instrument may be an obvious way to create a multicultural piece, but it is not the easiest. Most folk instruments don’t have the power to compete with an orchestra, although electronics can help; most also involve tunings that can’t mesh with the compromises of the well-tempered Western scale.

The Boston Globe Full review
[Press Release] BMOP presents Concertos for Indigenous Instruments

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), under artistic director and conductor Gil Rose, continues its exploration of new orchestral music influenced by non-Western cultures with a program of concertos for Persian, Korean, and Japanese instruments on March 10, 2006 at Jordan Hall.

Full review
[Press Release] BMOP opens its season with the North American premiere of Louis Andriessen's Trilogy of the Last Day

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), under artistic director and conductor Gil Rose, is one of the few professional orchestras in the United States dedicated exclusively to performing and recording music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Since its founding in 1996, BMOP has programmed 46 concerts of contemporary orchestral music, released ten world premiere recordings, and won eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming.

Full review
[CD Review] Reza Vali: Flute Concerto; Deylaman; Folk Songs (Set No. 10)

Reza Vali, who was born in Iran, will probably be a new name to most readers. Vali is now based in the USA and has been the recipient of several prestigious awards and commissions.

Classical Music Web Full review