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Kourosh (Kūruš) Zolani is an Iranian composer, musician and inventor. Zolani is best known for designing and playing the world's only playable chromatic santour.
Career
Kourosh Zolani was raised in Sangesar a small village in Iran, where music was considered a cultural taboo. Despite this, Zolani developed a passion for musical expression at an early age, and began learning the santur in secret at 14. It quickly became apparent that he was a prodigy. Zolani left home as a young adult to pursue his passion at the University of Art in Tehran. There, he studied classical composition, and had the privilege of training with the Iran’s preeminent santour player, Master Faramarz Payvar.
It was during this time that Zolani developed a new tuning technique for the ancient Iranian instrument, which transformed it from its diatonic form to allow for more chromatic versatility, for play in more complex orchestrations. Zolani spent the following years improving upon his invention, designing a family of chromatic santurs that further explored the instrument's timbre and range.
Upon moving to the U.S., Zolani attended the UCLA School of Entertainment to study film scoring. After graduating, he began traveling the world to perform in high-profile concerts everywhere from Washington D.C. to the ancient Roman city of Jerash in Jordan, while composing original scores for motion pictures on the side. In November 2009, Zolani released a collection of his original work, entitled “Memoirs of Sangesar,” which received international acclaim. View the music video on YouTube.
Today, Zolani aims to bridge the gap between traditional and contemporary music with the introduction of a hybrid sound that blends the exotic and distinctive melodies of the chromatic santur with more conventional and ambient accompaniment.
Biography
Kourosh Zolani was born in a small village in Iran. He does not come from a background that encouraged him to become a musician; indeed, he comes from a small town where music is not a part of everyday life and is, in general, considered taboo. He began his musical training with the Santour relatively late in life, at the age of 14. Remarkably, within two years, he started to teach the instrument and began to compose original musical works. To pursue his newfound passion, Kourosh would have to leave his hometown, and thus after high school, he went to Tehran to continue studying the Santour under Master Faramarz Payvar, the most famous Santour player in Persian music history. In 1998, Koroush received his Bachelor of Arts in Musical Composition from the distinguished University of Art in Tehran and moved to the U.S. in 2002. He graduated from the Film Scoring program at the UCLA School of Entertainment in spring of 2007. During his time at the University of Art, he invented a new method of tuning the Santour that revolutionized the ancient instrument by transforming it from an exclusively diatonic instrument to a chromatic one - in essence, allowing the Santour to participate in more complex music. Finally Kourosh evolved his invention to the new levels designing a family of Chromatic Santours, which further expand the instrument’s realms of timbre and range. Kourosh is the first musician to perform on the Chromatic Santour with a symphony orchestra, performing his original scores at venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and in the Roman city of Jerash in Jordan. Beside composing and performing, Kourosh has always been an instructor. He has appeared as a guest lecturer at UCLA, California State University Long Beach, Pomona college, and several other notable colleges and universities. Kourosh has received numerous awards for his performances and compositions. In December 2004, Kourosh received the L.A. Treasures Award from the California Traditional Music Society and the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. In Spring 2003, he was selected as a member of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission's Musicians Roster. Kourosh also became one of the 2003 Finalists in the USA Song Writing Competition, in the World Music Category. Also, “Peaceful Planet” was awarded the Best Solo Instrumental Album of the Year, in a competition that consisted of over 10,000 albums from 85 countries, in the Just Plain Folks International Contest of 2004. In November 2009, Zolani released a collection of his original work, entitled “Memoirs of Sangesar,” which received international acclaim.
Discography
- 2009 Memoirs of Sangesar
- 2003 Peaceful Planet
Awards and recognitions
- L.A. Treasures Award – California Traditional Music Society (CTMS) and the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, 2004
- Best Solo Instrumental Album of the Year – Peaceful Planet, (selected among 10,000 CDs spanning 85 countries), Just Plain Folks International Contest, 2004
- 2003 Finalist – USA Songwriting Competition
- Winner at Call to Arts Festival, Category of Aesthetics and Harmony for Peaceful Planet CD, 2003
References
- "The Chromatic Santour". Kourosh Zolani. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
- "Biography". Kourosh Zolani. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
- "LA County Arts Commission - Public and Special Events". Lacountyarts.org. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
- "Just Plain Folks Music Awards 2004 Performer Bios". Jpfolks.com. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
- "Biography". Kourosh Zolani. Retrieved 2010-06-11.