conferences & Presentations

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 PUBLICATIONS

2026 Beyond Politics: A Century of Persian Classical Music. Jenny Stanford Publishing [to be published]

2024  “Yādi Az Hormoz Farhat va Nokteh-Hā-Yi Az Ketābash, Mafhum-e Dastgāh Dar Musiqi-Ye Irāni (In Memory of Hormoz Farhat and a Review of His Book, The Concept of Dastgah in Persian Music’).” Mahoor Music Quarterly 2nd Period (1): 219–49.

2024 “Chālesh-hā-ye Musiqidān-e Irāni Dar Mohājerat (‘Challenges of Iranian Musicians in 

Diaspora’).” Journal Hafteh 6 (January): 117–36.

2024 Birds and the Garden Are Listening to You for String Quartet. Mahoor Institute for Arts and Culture.

2021  “Sad Sāl Musiqi-ye Kelāsik-e Irāni az Manzar-e Āfarinesh va Gostaresh” (“Hundred Years of Persian Classical Music from Creation and Development Perspective”) In Maktab Saba Journal, Summer Issue. https://maktabsaba.com/content/501.

2021 Michael Frishkopf collectively prepared by members of the TranceCultural Orchestra: Allison 

Sokil, Ari Mastoras, Arsh Khaira, Behrang Nikaeen, Donna Dawson, Jane Zaïane, Jillian Fulton-

Melanson, Matt Love, Mehdi Rezania, Michael Frishkopf, More J, Morteza Abedinifard, Nasim 

Ahmadian, Olga Zaitseva-Herz,  Shruti Nair, Tuğrul Özer, and Vahid Macvandi. “TranceCultural 

Music: Forging Social Resonance Through Asynchronous Virtual Musical Interaction During the  COVID-19 Pandemic” In Journal of Music, Health, and Wellbeing, Autumn Issue.

2021 “One Hundred Years of Persian Classical Music”. Iran 1400.  https://iran1400.org/author/mehdi-rezania/#post

2014  “Mafhum-e Gushe Dar Musiqi Kelasik-e Irani” (“Concept of Gushe in Persian  Classical Music”). Harmony Talk. www.harmonytalk.com.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

2024 “First Night in Tehranto: The Silent Nowruz”, First Night in Tehranto: Memories and Reflections of Toronto’s Iranian Immigrants, Toronto, Toronto Metropolian University, 23 May.

2023 “Aesthetic of Persian Classical Music”, PACSO Iranian Arts and Cultural Society, Ottawa, 21 October.

2023 “Fetishizing the Tradition: The Ultra-conservative Style of Iranian Santur Playing”, Society for Ethnomusicology, Carlton University, 19 October.

2023 “Fetishizing the Tradition: The Ultra-conservative Style of Iranian Santur Playing”, Eighteenth 

International Conference on the Arts in Society, Krakow, Poland, 7 July.

2023 "Fetishizing the Tradition: The Ultra-conservative Style of Iranian Santur Playing," Dialogues- International Music Research Conference, Université Laval, 19 May.

2022 “Sarā tā Sorayā: A Hundred Years of Development of Iranian Art”, Middle East Studies 

Association, Denver, 11 December. 

2022 “Contemporary Practice and Performance of Persian Classical Music: Toward a New Theory”, 

Society for Ethnomusicology, Louisiana, 11 November.

2022 “The Contemporary Santur Playing of Iran: Beyond Tradition and Modernity”, International 

Council for Traditional Music, Lisbon, 22 July.

2022 “Beyond Politics: Iran’s Century of Classical Music and Multiple Modernities, University of 

Alberta, 31 May.

2022 “Tarab and/or Toqyān: Music, Politics and [Western] Media in the Context of Contemporary 

Iranian Society”, Canadian Association for Study of Islam and Muslims, McMaster University, 

26 May.

2022 “Gems of Radif: A New Rendition of Performing the Radif of Persian Music”, University of 

Calgary, 9 May.

2022 “One Hundred of Persian Classical Music”, Iranian Student Association of University of Alberta, 

26 April.

2022 “For Elite or Ordinary? The Dynamic of ‘Classical’ and ‘Popular’ Music in Contemporary Iran, 

Annual Conference of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology, Open University, 7-10 April.

2022 “Gems of Radif: A New Rendition of Performing the Radif of Persian Music”, York University, 

Toronto, 25 March.

2022 “Gems of Radif: A New Rendition of Performing the Radif of Persian Music”, McGill 

University, 20 March.

2022 “Beyond Politics: Iran’s Century of Classical Music and Multiple-Modernities”, University of 

Alberta, 17 March.

2022 “Gems of Radif: New Perspectives on Persian Art Music”, Sound Studies Institute, University of 

Alberta. 7 January.

2021 "Mohammad Reza Shajarian: The Voice of a Nation and Over-politicization by the Media”, 66th 

Annual Meeting of Society of Ethnomusicology .31 October.

2021 "Mohammad Reza Shajarian: The Voice of a Nation and Over-politicization by the Media”, Sixth 

International Conference on Communication & Media Studies, University of Toronto. 7 October.

2021 “Who Gets to Sing the Song: The Status of Iranian Singers Who Became the Echo of People’s 

Resistance”, Music & … Nationalism: 3rdGlobal Interdisciplinary Conference, Progressive 

Connexions, Vienna. 13 June.

2021 “Contemporary Santur Playing in Iran: Beyond Tradition and Modernity”, Sixth  International Conference on Analytical Approach to World Music, Paris. 12 June.

2021 "Mohammad Reza Shajarian: The Voice of a Nation and Over-politicization by the  Media." North West Chapter of Society of Ethnomusicology, Western Washington  University. 27 February.

2020 “Contemporary Santur Playing of Iran”, Saba Centre for Culture and Arts, 14 February.

2020 “Gems of Radif: A New Approach to the Performance of Radif”, Andishe Association, 

University of Alberta. 9 December.

2020 “In Memory of Mohammad Reza Shajarian”, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at  University of Alberta. 5 December.

2020 “Shajarian: The Balance of Art and Adab”, Hamandishi Association, University of  Calgary. 14 November.  

2019 “Gems of Radif: A New Approach to the Performance of Radif”, Parya Foundation, Thornhill, 

Ontario. 14 November.

2019 “Composing Persian Music in Diaspora: Music Identity, Authenticity and Universals”, 

International Conference on Iranian Diaspora Studies, San Francisco State University. 28-30 

March.

2019 “Grind Fine Diamonds Floating in Turbulent Sea: The Music of Ardavan Kamkar”, Agora 

Philosophical Forum, University of Toronto. 25 May.

2019 “Who Gets to Sing the Song: The Status of Classical and Popular Musicians in Contemporary 

Iran”, International Council for Traditional Music Conference, Chulalungkorn University, 

Bangkok. 11-17 July.

2018 “Composing Persian Music in Diaspora: Music Identity, Authenticity and Universals”, Annual 

Conference of the Canadian Society for Traditional Music, Mâmawêyatitân Centre, Regina. 25-

27 May.

2018 “Composing Persian Music in Diaspora: Music Identity, Authenticity and 

Universals”, International Conference on Iranian Diaspora Studies, San Francisco State  University. 28-30 March.

2017 "The Contemporary Santur Playing of Iranian Musician Ardavan Kamkar”, The  Annual  Conference of the Canadian Society for Traditional Music, University of  Toronto. 25-27 May.

2017 “Tradition and Modernity in Persian Classical Music”, Sohrevardi Foundation, Toronto. 19 May.

2017 “Salute to Sun; Conceptual Composition in Persian Music”, Partov Cultural Club, University of 

Waterloo. 22 March.

2017 “Payvar in 7 Perspectives; Santur Recital and Lecture”, Andishe Association, University of 

Alberta. 10 February.

2016 “Persian Classical Music: What It Is Now”, Folkways Alive; Noon Series Event, University of 

Alberta. 24 October.

2016 “Music in Islam”, Saba Conservatory of Music, Toronto. 7 February.

2016 “Song Singing in Persian Music; a Brief History”, Saba Conservatory of Music, Toronto. 14 

February.

2016 “Rhythmic Forms in Persian Classical Music”, Saba Conservatory of Music, Toronto. 

27 November.

2015 “Persian Music During Pahlavi Period”, Saba Conservatory of Music, Toronto. 25 October.

2015 “Challenges of Music in Modern Iran”, Saba Conservatory of Music, Toronto. 13 September.

2010 “Tradition in Music of 20th Century Iran”, Iranian Association of University of Toronto, 

University of Toronto. 9 October.

  2022 “Persianate Majles” organized by Mehdi Rezania, Edmonton.

 - “Majles 1: Hafez & Nur-Ali Borumand” (Sajad Soleymani, Mehdi Rezania, Reza 

Mirzaei), 5 June.
 - “Majles 2: From Khorasan to Ukrain” (Nataliya Gryssiv, Viktoria Grynenko, Mehdi 

Rezania, Sajad Soleymani, Harvey Spak), 12 June.
 - “Majles 3: From Iran to South America” (Svitlana Remniakova, Renee Prez, Mehdi 

Rezania, Sajad Soleymani, Abtin Ghaffari), 19 June.

- “Majles 4: From Dastgāh to Maqām” (Mark Segger, Ahmad al-Bader, Mehdi Rezania, 

Sajad Soleymani, Morteza Abedinifard), 8 July.
 - “Majles 5: From Tabriz to Africa: Sajad Soleymani, Mehdi Rezania, Behrang Nikaeen, 

Uche Peter Umez), 15 July.
 - “Majles 6: Female Poets of Iran” (Sajad Soleymani, Mehdi Rezania, Mahdi Modirzadeh), 

22 July.
 - “Majles 7: From Isfahan to Canada” (Sajad Soleymani, Allison Balcetis, Mehdi Rezania, 

Abtin Ghaffari), 12 August.
 - “Majles 8: The Night of Chahārmezrāb” (Sajad Soleymani, Morteza Abedinifard, Mehdi 

Rezania, Mark Segger, Abtin Ghaffari), 19 August.
 - “Majles 9: In Memory of Sayeh [Houshang Ebtehaj]” (Katy Pezeshki, Toloe Roushenas, 

Mehdi Rezania, Sajad Soleymani, Abtin Ghaffari, Farshad Tavakoli, Reza Mirzaei), 31 

August. 

- “Majles 10: Music and Literature of Iranian Constitutional Revolution” (Mehdi Rezania, 

Sajad Soleymani), 20 November.
 - “Majles 11: From Kerman to Cairo (Iman Mersal, Ahmed al-Badr, Sajad Soleymani, 

Mehdi Rezania), 18 December.

- “Majles 12: Music and Literature of 1979 Revolution 1 (Sajad Soleymani, Mehdi Rezania), 1 January.
- “Majles 13: Music and Literature of 1979 Revolution 2 (Sajad Soleymani, Mehdi Rezania), 15 January.
- “Majles 14: From Shushtar to Kanata (Sajad Soleymani, Mehdi Rezania)

“A Year with Iranian Art” (Online presentations organized by Mehdi Rezania)
 

2020. “Abbas Kiarostami.” (presenter: Khatereh Sheybani), 20 September.

2020. “Mohammad Reza Lotfi” (presenter: Mohammad Jamal Samavati). 10 October.

2020. “Mohammad Reza Shajarian.” (presenter: Mohammad Jamal Samavati). 15 November.

2020. “Houshang Golshiri, Qolam-Hoseyn Saedi, Bahram Sadeghi, Sadegh Hedayat

(presenters: Mehdi Ganjavi, Kara Abdolmaleki, Sasan Ghahreman, Hossein Atashparvar, Mehrak Kamali). 20, 23, 27 December.

2021. “Contemporary Iranian Theatre.” (presenters: Amin Azimi, Majan Mousavi). 10, 17, 

24, 31 January.

2021. “February: Contemporary Santur.” (presenter: Mehdi Rezania). 14 February.

2021. “Gholam-Hossein Nami, Kambiz Derambakhsh, Alijan Alijanpour, Yari

 Ostovani.” 14, 29 March.

2021. “April: Mowlana [Rumi].” (presenters: Amir Artaban Sedaghat, Farzad Khalvati”. 18, 

25 April.

2021. “May: Challenges of Iranian Art Studies in the West.” (presenters: Amir Artaban 

Sedaghat, Kara Abdolmaleki, Marjan Mousavi, Khatereh Sheybani). 23 May.

2021. “June: Bahram Beyzai.” (presenters: Kara Abdolmaleki, Marjan Mousavi). 20 June.

2021. “Contemporary Tombak.” (presenters: Navid Afghah, Arash Farhangfar, Ali 

Mousavi). 18, 28 July.

2021. “Ebrahim Golestan.” (presenter: Kara Abdolmaleki). 15 August.
  

2018 “Two Weeks with Iranian Art” organized by Mehdi Rezania (12-20 May), Toronto.

20 May. Moosavi, Marjan. “Iranian or Canadian? Diasporic Encounters in Toronto Theatres.”

20 May. Milanloo, Hadi. “Kept in a Jewelry Box: Iranian Women in Canada, Narratives of Loss, Quests 

for Spirituality, and the Practice of Rare Listening”.

19 May. Rezania, Mehdi. “Composing Persian Music in Diaspora: Music Identity, Authenticity and 

Universals”.

19 May. Sedaghat, Amir Artaban. “Persian Poetry between Language and Music”.

18 May. Amoui, Kurosh. “Buenos Aires - Isfahan: the Esoteric and the Islamicate in Works of Jorge 

Luis Borges”.

18 May. Ganjavi, Mehdi. “Rostam in the Twenty Second Century: the Genealogy of Science Fiction 

Genre in Modern Persian Literature.”

13 May. “Blid Owl”. Discussion with the director Mazdak Taebi.

13 May. Moosavi, Marjan. “(B)othering the Sacred and Countering the Canonized in the Iranian 

Theatre of War”.

12 May. Salehyar, Hamidreza. “The Revival of the Iranian Classical Music during the Second Pahlavi 

Period: The Role of Modernist Musicians”.

12 May. Masoudi, Ali. “Rhythm in Persian Art Music”.