Before Dawn (2017, rev. 2023) - ca. 7'

1, 1, 1, 1 – 1, 1, 1, 0 – timp+1 – strings [43321]

Selected for the American Composers' Orchestra's EarShot Readings with Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, 2024

Selected for ARTZenter Emerging Composer Completion Grant with San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, 2024

Selected for Dream American New Music Readings with Pacific Chamber Orchestra, 2023

Performances/Readings: 

• Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Stilian Kirov - April 16, 2024

• San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, conducted by Eric Dudley - Friday, January 5th 2024

• Pacific Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Lawrence Kohl - October 29th, Bothwell Arts Center, Livermore, CA

Program Notes:

In 1999, I bore witness to the profound anxiety that gripped my parents as student protests unfolded in Iran. The haunting images of University of Tehran's students, their shirts stained with blood from brutal attacks by security forces, left an ineffaceable mark on my memory. Years later, in 2009, the world watched Neda Agha-Soltan's tragic demise unfold, her life extinguished for daring to participate in the 2009 election protests. "Before Dawn" was born out of all the years of anxiety weighing on me while living in Iran. Its soul resides in the timeless melodies of the Ghashghai people, nomadic spirits echoing near my hometown of Shiraz. Deep within their traditions, a powerful melody named Sahar-Avazi (سحرآوازی) is performed before dawn each day, weaving together their unity and unwavering resistance against the encroaching darkness. This melody, whispered by the Sorna (سُرنا), an ancient reed instrument, carries microtonal echoes that pierce the soul, painting a sonic landscape of their struggles.

Resistance is the beating heart of this composition. It's not just in my music, but in the shared memory of tear gas-filled streets, the rallying cries echoing through the night, and the unyielding hope burning in the eyes of my fellow Iranians. Conceived in 2017 (revised in 2023/24), "Before Dawn" has evolved alongside the ever-shifting tides of our fight. It is not just a relic of the past, but whispers of resilience and of holding onto hope even when dawn seems elusive.