photos:D. Vass and Mona Matbou Riahi
Golfam Khayam گلفام خیام
A b o u t
Golfam KHAYAM's music described by AL Jazeera as "Innovative Art"
Iranian composer & improviser, her career reflects her unique musical language through the integration of her native musical elements within a contemporary experimental musical framework. Golfam has appeared extensively as performer, composer, and her music is being performed worldwide, spreading her musical message in various projects which has been featured as in Elbphilharmonie, NPR ”songs we love", Danish Cultural Radio, BBC3, Deutchewele, Royal Festival Hall, Ojai festival.
Golfam Khayam was born and grew up in Iran in a family of artists in Tehran. Her selected commissions and collaborations partly include Barbara Hannigan, Iceland Symphony orchestra, Orchestre de la Radio France, ICE ensemble, London Symphony Orchestra,Stephan Schmidt (Basel), Ivan Podyomov (principle Oboist of Concertgebouw), Copenhagen Guitar Ensemble , Ensemble 21 Geneva, Isabel Villanueva, William Kanengeiser (USC), HEM Geneva String Orchestra premiering by Elena Schwarz, Klangswerkstatt Berlin, Opera Aix en Provence among others. She has initiated a research on technique adaptations from Persian regional ethnic instruments which reflects in a publication " Tradition and Synthesis", these findings include ornamentations and creation process. Since 2016 she has signed with the prestigious German label ECM records along numerous other recordings worldwide including NewFocus Recording and Doberman-Ypann.
Winner of numerous competitions, scholarships, and prizes. She has been named as the selected composer at the International Music Council, Rostrum of composers in the "Windows on the World" category in 2016 based in Paris. Winner of Residency in Festival Aix en Provence. She received HES-SO full fellowship award for the research project of "New Vocabulary" shedding light on the concept of synthesis and cross culture fusion in contemporary music . She has been actively giving workshops on the subject of improvisation and synthesis as guest lecturer which includes Aarhus Royal Academy, Copenhagen Royal Music Academy, Geneva University, Luzern Music University. She is selected as composer in residence for ENOA network for Opera creation journey with Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.
She holds “Master of Music” from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati (USA). She continued her studies at the HEMGE (Switzerland) , Interprétation Specialisée Solist and acquired the degree of Master of Composition. She is currently Assistant Professor at Art University of Tehran.