Peyman Farzinpour
Peter Peyman Farzinpour is an American conductor, composer, multimedia producer, educator, and arts administrator based in Los Angeles, California. He is the Artistic Director and Conductor of ENSEMBLE / PARALLAX and Sinfonietta Notturna, and serves as Executive and Artistic Director of Farzinpour Creative Music & Multimedia Ventures. He also serves as a conducting faculty member at the Altschuler Summer Music Institute (ASMI). His work includes contemporary music performance and commissioning, multimedia collaborations, arts leadership, and teaching.
Early life and education
Farzinpour studied at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, earning a bachelor's degree in guitar performance and composition, and at The Johns Hopkins University, earning a bachelor's degree in English literature. He completed a Master of Arts in Music at the University of California, Davis, and earned a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in orchestral conducting from the Civica Scuola di Musica Claudio Abbado in Milan, Italy.
Career
Los Angeles Philharmonic and LACMA (2002–2007)
Farzinpour began his career with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he served as Manager of Education and Community Programs. He later became Director of New Music Programs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Programming developed under his direction received First Prize from ASCAP and Chamber Music America for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music.
Conducting posts and ensembles (2004–present)
Farzinpour has held music director and conducting roles with several ensembles, including Erato Philharmonia in Los Angeles, the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra in Massachusetts, and the Rivers Symphony Orchestra in Massachusetts. He served as Conductor in Residence with Opera Cabal, leading the world staged U.S. premiere of Georg Friedrich Haas’s opera ATTHIS at The Kitchen in New York City.
Since 2015, Farzinpour has served as Artistic Director and Conductor of ENSEMBLE / PARALLAX, a contemporary music ensemble that commissions and presents new works with newly created multimedia elements designed specifically for each performance. In 2022, he became Artistic Director and Conductor of Sinfonietta Notturna, a Los Angeles-based chamber orchestra presenting themed performances in intimate settings.
Farzinpour Creative Music & Multimedia Ventures (2022–present)
Farzinpour leads Farzinpour Creative Music & Multimedia Ventures as Director and Executive and Artistic Director. The venture designs custom music and multimedia experiences for events and productions, including work with composers, musicians, and video artists.
Teaching and academic work
Farzinpour has held several significant academic and faculty appointments. He currently serves on the faculty of the Altschuler Summer Music Institute (ASMI), where he teaches conducting.
Previously, he held faculty positions at Berklee College of Music and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. At Berklee, he served as an Associate Professor, teaching conducting, composition, music theory, and music history. At UMass Dartmouth, he taught composition, music theory, music history, and courses on rock and roll.
Compositions and publications
Farzinpour’s compositions have been performed in the United States, Canada, and Europe. His works are published and distributed by the American Composers Alliance (ACA). He has also served as a composer in residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada.
Artistic influences
Farzinpour has cited early influences including Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, and Anton Webern, and later influences including Luigi Nono, Pierre Boulez, Georg Friedrich Haas, Salvatore Sciarrino, and Toshio Hosokawa. He has described his conducting approach as influenced by his teacher Emilio Pomarico, who studied with Sergiu Celibidache.
Awards and recognitions
- First Prize, Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music (ASCAP/Chamber Music America; date not specified)
- Berklee Faculty Fellowship (Berklee College of Music; date not specified)
- Artists Grant (Rhode Island State Council on the Arts; three consecutive years; dates not specified)
- Fellowship Merit Award in Music Composition (Rhode Island State Council on the Arts; date not specified)
- Grants (Foundation for Contemporary Arts; dates not specified)
- Grants (American Composers Forum; dates not specified)
- Faculty Development and Recording Grants (Berklee College of Music; dates not specified)
Personal life
Farzinpour is based in Los Angeles, California. His interests include arts, psychology, animals and animal behavior, and travel.