Lighthouse by Amir Eslami

About the Artist

Amir Eslami (composer / ney) was born in Esfahan, Iran, in 1971, and has been playing the Ney since 1987. He received his BA in music in 1997 and an MA in music composition in 2003. Amir has been a faculty member in the Music Faculty of the Art University of Tehran from 2005 to 2018. He has won three national prizes and three international prizes (Italy, Australia and Netherlands) in music composition. He has released four albums as a composer and more than ten as a Ney player. Amir’s pieces have been performed in Iran, Italy, Australia, USA and Netherlands. Since immigrating to Vancouver in 2015, he has been active as a composer and performer, and has also established his own record company, Rumi Records, as well as other ensembles and organizations such as the Vancouver Iranian Choir, the Iranian Music Society of BC, and Hazar Ava Ensemble.

About the Instrument

Ney: an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Middle Eastern music. The ney has been played continuously for 4,500–5,000 years, making it one of the oldest musical instruments still in use. The Persian ney consists of a hollow cylinder (a piece of hollow cane or giant reed) with five or six finger holes and one thumb hole. Sometimes a brass, horn, or plastic mouthpiece is placed at the top to protect the wood from damage, and to provide a sharper and more durable edge to blow at. A highly skilled ney player can reach more than three octaves, though it is also common to have several “helper” neys to cover different pitch ranges or to facilitate playing technically difficult passages in other dastgahs or maqams.

Video Production Credits

This video was produced by Amir Eslami and presented in association with the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra’s THE LONGEST NIGHT: MUSIC FOR SOLSTICE (SOLACE).

View the full programme for The Longest Night: Music for Solstice (Solace).