TEHRAN – The veteran Iranian classical composer and musician Ahmad Pejman passed away in Los Angeles, the U.S., on August 29.

Known for his works in opera, symphonies, and music for films, Pejman died at the age of 90 on Friday evening after a long period of illness, IRNA reported.

Born in Lar, Fars Province, Pejman was exposed to the sounds and rhythms of southern Iran from early childhood. In high school, he started violin lessons with Heshmat Sanjari and music theory with Hossein Nassehi.

As a young violinist with the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, he was awarded a scholarship to study composition at the Music Academy in Vienna. He studied composition with Thomas Christian David, Alfred Uhl, and Hanns Jelinek. As a first-year student at the Academy, Pejman’s compositions were performed by the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and his orchestral work Rhapsody was performed by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Upon graduation from the Academy of Music in Vienna, Pejman returned to Iran in 1968, where he was commissioned to write the opera “Hero of Sahand,” which was based on the legendary Persian hero Babak Khorramdin. Between 1969 and 1978, Pejman continued to compose symphonic works, operas, ballets, and also wrote many scores for motion pictures and television programs.

In 1976, he moved to New York, where he entered Columbia University's Doctorate of Music program in New York and continued his studies with Buelant Arel, Vladimir Ussachevsky, and Jack Beeson.

In 1984, Pejman moved to Los Angeles and continued to compose and arrange music for jazz and pop ensembles and motion pictures.

In the early 1990s, Pejman decided to return to Iran and continued with a long-term devotion to scoring films for directors including Majid Majidi, Bahman Farmanara, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, and Mohsen Makhmalbaf. He won two Crystal Simorgh awards from the Fajr Film Festival and four awards from the Iran Cinema Celebration.

In 1992, he was commissioned to write a cantata for choir and orchestra for the liberation of Khorramshahr. He was then commissioned to write music for a musical theater to be performed at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall. Since 1993, Pejman has been writing film music, composing for the orchestra and choir, and releasing various soundtracks and CDs.

“Resurrection Concert” or “A Persian Night with Vancouver Opera Orchestra,” featuring Vancouver Bach Choir, was held at the Orpheum Theater in Vancouver in 2019 to pay tribute to Ahmad Pejman. For the very first time in Canada, 150 Professional musicians graced the magnificent Orpheum Theater to perform masterpieces by renowned Iranian composers at the Persian Night concert. Three movements of the Symphonic Poem “Sudden Resurrection” composed by Ahmad Pejman were performed in this concert, conducted by Leslie Dala. 

Pieces from other Iranian composers, Loris Tjeknavorian, Hooshang Kamkar, Homayoun Khorram, Gholamhossein Minbashian, Fardin Khalatbari, Mahyar Alizadeh, Ramin Jamalpour, and Saman Samimi were in the repertoire of the concert as well. Alireza Ghorbani and Talin Ohanian were Vocalists in the concert.

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