Welcome to the
“Euro-Persian Art Ensemble"
Also known as the “Euro-Persian Ensemble”, we blending the rich traditions of Western classical music with the timeless beauty of Persian musical heritage.
Our ensemble is dedicated to creating a unique musical experience that bridges cultures, combining the precision and elegance of European chamber (orchestral) music with the depth and emotion of traditional Persian sounds. Through our performances, we strive to foster cultural exchange, innovation, and a deeper appreciation for the diverse musical traditions that unite us all.
Euro-Persian Art Ensemble
Within this organization, we have gathered together a group of high-quality international musicians, who make up the Euro-Persian Art Ensemble (Euro-Persian Ensemble). Our group is composed of award-winning soloists from prestigious European orchestras.
The instrumentation setting of the Euro-Persian Art Ensemble consists of both modern western classical instruments alongside traditional Persian instruments with vocals. This combination provides a unique and culturally richness experience at our concerts. This instrumental setting gives an extra charm and color that create a new experience within the realm of classical music. The Euro-Persian Art Ensemble is NOT a world music ensemble, nor is it a fusion or a traditional Persian ensemble, rather we aim to provide a unique contribution to the classical world.
Music Style and Music Program
The Euro-Persian Art Ensemble plays well-known existing Western classical music, alongside new compositions and new arrangements. We combine western classical music with authentic traditional Persian music. Depending on our audience or a particular event, we might also perform classical/old Persian songs that are nostalgic for Persian people who live in the diaspora.
Our repertoire ranges from the late Baroque to the 21st century.
Innovation & Heritage:
This combination of Western classical music and contemporary classical music, alongside traditional Persian musical elements and Persian traditional instruments, will open many new possibilities and experiences, including new instrumentations, new colors, new harmonies, new counterpoints, and new sounds!.
We encourage our composers (artists in residence) to use Persian quarter tones and Dastgāh/Maqam/Mayeh in new compositions and arrangements to create unique new harmonies, new counterpoints, new instrumentations, and unique new orchestrations. Our goal is to inspire our composers to write music that showcases the best of both Western and Persian traditions.
Pre-Islamic Persia has always been a significant common source of inspiration and cultural similarity between Europe (the Western world) and Persia, and we encourage our composers to act as engineers, building bridges between different parts of the world.
As a result, the prosperity and development of new techniques in composition and performance will progressively enrich both cultures.
Finally, this will have a positive influence on our music education system and raise awareness in our society about both cultures.
Since the 1900s, many Western contemporary composers (like Wim Henderickx) have incorporated characteristics of both Persian and European musical elements, including Persian intervals and Dastgāh/Maqam/Mayeh, into their compositions.
It will undoubtedly take many years before musical education, instrumentation, and Western society fully adopt these wonderful Persian musical elements, such as unique intervals, Dastgāh/Maqam/Mayeh, and Gosheh, into their own musical languages and integrate them into the norm. Eventually, this could become part of the European cultural heritage, the heritage that is deeply rooted to our ancestors.
By incorporating diverse elements, including music, history, and literature of both cultures, this cultural exchange will foster innovation and open many new possibilities in both Persian and Western classical/art music, as well as in the education system.
Quality of the Euro-Persian Art Ensemble:
The Euro-Persian Art Ensemble consists of several international musicians of the highest quality. A primary example is our concertmaster Sarah Oates who is the associate concertmaster of the Philharmonic Orchestra in London. She is also a sought-after guest with other world-class orchestras.
Other musicians in our ensemble perform as soloists and principal musicians in prestigious orchestras around the world.
Our soprano singers Nazanin Ezazi and Kamelia Dara and our mezzo-soprano Ariana Vafadari sing in Persian and multiple European languages. All of them have international careers as solo opera singers.
Artists in Residence/ Composers/ Arrangers:
Our team consists of top-notch, internationally recognized composers such as:
Alain Craens
Houman Khalaj
Mathias Coppens
Richard Danielpour
You may find extensive biographies about the quality of the musicians, singers, and composers of the Euro-Persian Art Organization on the Artist page of our website.
General Idea:
We aim to create a cultural liaison between Western and pre-Islamic Persian cultural heritage, with a primary focus on music that can be described as a bridge between the past and the present. Our approach combines contemporary creations inspired by history as a source of inspiration stand alongside innovation, education, and music performance. We seek to offer a unique and fresh interpretation of modern Western classical music, and contemporary art music. Our goal is to create a space that integrates Western and Persian music elements and instruments with literature, poetry, education, arts, history, conferences, musical performances, lecture recitals, concerts, professional music creation or re-creation and music arrangement.
The ensemble also provides talented young Belgian composers the opportunity to write new pieces under the guidance of a renowned composer.
In addition to its ongoing concert cycle, the Euro-Persian Art Ensemble of Belgium embraces a social mission. Through partnerships with the community and a focus on children, the ensemble strives to connect underprivileged groups and children through the power of music.
Women’s Rights:
After the Islamic Revolution in Iran in the late 1970s, female solo voices were banned from public performances. The Euro-Persian Art Ensemble seeks to give Persian women the opportunity to perform again, reviving the beauty of this suppressed art form. During the pre-Islamic Zoroastrian period, women enjoyed equal rights with men and often held leadership positions in society, the military, and the arts. Through our art, we aim to revive and bring the voices of Persian women back to the forefront.
Diversity & Education:
The ensemble fulfills its obligation to bring together diverse groups including, our professional international musicians, students, professors, artists, historians, children, and parents into contact with each other. The Euro-Persian Art Ensemble shares the stage with professional, and semi-professional orchestras or choirs, as well as children’s choirs and music students for Educational purposes. This is achieved through partnerships with the community and through collaboration or co-production with other organizations within Belgium, Europe, and the USA. In addition, by organizing international masterclasses for young composers and musicians in collaboration with music universities.
By including a children's choir in our projects, we aim to inspire greater tolerance in our multicultural society, broadening children's perspectives and highlighting the importance of cultural exchange. Performing and singing together in a choir develops self-respect and respect for others. Foreign-language newcomers and young refugees can perform alongside well-known artists, becoming familiar with new languages and professional music, which will, in turn, feed their inspiration.
This will encourage artistic initiatives that give young people a chance to grow and express themselves.
Integration plays a crucial role in our project, especially for Persian individuals in European and American society, facilitating interaction between generations. Parents of different generations who attend our concerts will learn and gain insights into Western and Persian culture, music, literature, social engagement, and the involvement of young people in society. We hope this initiative will add value to the lives of these young people, helping them become more familiar with and respectful of other cultures and arts. Ultimately, they will come to see the music, history, art, poetry, and literature of Persia, Europe, and the USA as integral parts of their own culture.
The Euro-Persian Art Ensemble operates on a project basis. The ensemble consists of a mix of professional musicians and singers from diverse international backgrounds and sometimes offers opportunities to conservatory students, serving as a bridge to a professional career.
Instrumental Setting of Euro-Persian Art Ensemble:
Flute/Picolo /Alt Flute
Oboe/English Horn
Clarinet in Bb
Bassoon
Soprano (Persian, EN, DE, FR, IT)
Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Cello
Double Bass
Tombak/Daf (Persian Percussions)
Tar/Setar (Persian instruments)
Santour (Persian instrument)
Kamancheh (Persian instrument)
Flexibility and Size:
The Euro-Persian Art Ensemble can perform independently or in collaboration with another orchestra or a choir. Through partnerships with other ensembles, orchestras, singers, music universities, and organizations, there is always an option to expand this ensemble into a full Symphonic Orchestra of around 110 musicians and a large choir. The Euro-Persian Art Ensemble can also perform with smaller groups of musicians, ranging from 2 to 6 instead of the full 14. For certain projects, we may choose to work exclusively with Western instrumental settings or traditional Persian instrumental settings. The flexibility and size of our ensemble allow us to offer a wide variety of services.