December 2, 2019 (Halifax, NS) – Halifax based classical record label, Leaf Music is pleased to announce that Canadian composer Saman Shahi is joining the label’s roster. An active composer, performer and advocate of contemporary classical music, Shahi’s work steps outside convention and is deeply influenced by Iranian traditional music, rock and electronic music.
Shahi’s first release with Leaf Music will be the song cycle Songs of a Wandering Soul set to be released June 19, 2020. The work features Tiffany Hanus (voice), Scott Peterson (Electric and Double Bass), Cheryl Ockrant (Cello), Natalie Wong (Violin), Peter Lutek (Clarinet, Bassoon) Derek Grey (Percussion). The recording was produced by the composer himself and recorded at Canterbury Studios, Toronto, Ontario.
Along with Songs of a Wandering Soul, Shahi is currently preparing material for his first full-length album in late 2020 entitled Breathing in the Shadows. The title comes from a song-cycle by Shahi based on poetry by women from across the globe, commissioned and sung by Soprano, Maureen Batt. The album will feature performances by tenor Fabián Arciniegas, collaborative pianist Tara Scott, and solo piano by Shahi himself. This project is supported by the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Toronto Arts Council. One of the song cycles featured on this album, “Orbit” won the second prize in the Canadian Association of Amatuer Musicians’s inaugural Composition Competition in 2019.
ABOUT SAMAN SHAHI
Based in Toronto, Shahi is a founding member and executive director of Iranian Composers of Toronto (ICOT), Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre, and an affiliate member of the Canadian League of Composers. He was recently appointed as the Music Director at the Peterborough Concert band, and works as a composer-teacher with the Canadian Opera Company. His works have been performed by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Windsor Youth Symphony Orchestra, Symphony on the Bay, Orchestra Toronto and others across Canada. He has received commissions from ensembles worldwide including the National Ballet of Canada, and Tirgan Festival.