About Dr. Namazi
Behzad Namazi (composer, ethnomusicologist, and multi-instrumentalist) received his Bachelors in music composition from the Ohio State University in 2013, Masters in music composition from Ohio University in 2015, and PhD in ethnomusicology & music composition from Ohio University in 2020.
Dr. Namazi’s research and performance practice is centered around the modal system of Persian traditional music, and the socio-cultural phenomena surrounding this musical tradition.
His compositional works have been premiered at various festivals and symposia, such as the national and regional conferences for the Society of Composers, Inc, concert series for the Iranian Cultural Association of Columbus, and academic performances at The Ohio State University, Ohio University, and Denison University. His essays in ethnomusicology have been presented at several national and international venues, including the annual meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, the Canadian Society of Traditional Music, and the Association for Iranian Studies’ biennial conference.
Dr. Namazi’s dissertation, on the Radif as Musical Syntax, investigates the ways in which the Radif (the canonic repertoire) functions as a system of melodic governance for composition and improvisation. His recent book chapter, entitled “Āvāz: The Art of Persian Traditional Singing,” surveys the historical timeline, stylistic techniques, and performance practice. The work was published by Rowman & Littlefield Press in October of 2019.
Dr. Namazi’s forthcoming book chapter, entitled “Tehrangeles: A Glance at the Global Capital of Persian Pop Music,” examines the history of popular Persian music production in Los Angeles, California through the lens of migration and identity. This work, which features analyses of song texts and personal interviews with renowned artists, will be included in The Oxford Handbook of Global Popular Music, and is set to be published in 2024 by Oxford University Press.
Recent Publications
Avaz: The Art of Persian Traditional Singing
Namazi, Behzad. “Tehrangeles: A Glance at the Global Capital of Persian Pop Music.” Oxford Handbook of Global Popular Music. Simone Krüger Bridge, ed. Oxford: England: Oxford University Press, forthcoming.
Lectures & Presentations
2023
“Morteza Hannaneh: An Academic Authority in Persian Music,” 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, October 19. Presenter.
2022
“Harmonizing Melody, Modernizing Tradition: On the Adoption of the Piano in Persian Traditional Music,” AMS-SEM-SMT Joint Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 13. Presenter.
2020
“A Silk Road Journey: An Analysis of Ghazal Ensemble’s Inter-modal Improvisation,” Indo-Persian Musical Confluence (Zoom), University of California, Los Angeles, November 8. Presenter.
2019
“From Tehran to Vancouver: The Diasporic Journey of Hossein Behroozinia,” Global Arts Festival Symposium, Ohio University, April 2. Presenter.
2018
“A Musical Repatriation: Tracing the Resurgence of the Barbat in Iran,” 63rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Albuquerque, New Mexico, November 18. Presenter.
2018
“Sounds of a Nation: A Case Study on the Tar of Iran,” 12th Biennial Conference of the Association for Iranian Studies, University of California, Irvine, August 15. Presenter.
2017
“The Radif as Musical Syntax: A Case Study on the Revival of the Qanun in Persian Music,” 62nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Denver, Colorado, October 27. Presenter.
2016
“Beshno Az Ney,” Society of Composers, Inc., Student National Conference, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, November 18. Composer & Performer.
2016
“Reng No. 3 in Shur,” Society of Composers, Inc., Snapshot Conference, Otterbein University, Westerville, Ohio, November 5. Composer & Performer.
2016
“The Radif as Common Code in Persian Traditional Music: A Counter-Theory to Attali’s Composing,” International Conference on Intangible Cultural Heritage, Canadian Society for Traditional Music – Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada, May 20. Presenter.
2016
“Reclaiming a National Identity: Cultural Nationalism in Persian Traditional Music,” SEM Midwest Regional Conference (MIDSEM), Michigan State University, April 9. Presenter.
2016
“The Musical Instrument as an Agent of Revival: A Case Study on the Barbat of Hossein Behroozinia,” Midwest Graduate Music Consortium, University of Chicago, March 4. Presenter.
Course Instruction
IART 1170 – “Introduction to the Arts: Arts in Contexts,”
Ohio University, Instructor, Spring 2015, Autumn 2018, Spring 2019
IART 1180 – “Introduction to the Arts: Objects and Events”
Ohio University, Instructor, Autumn 2016, Spring 2017, Autumn 2017, Spring 2018, Autumn 2019, Spring 2020