Shahin Farhat

Shahin Farhat (, born 28 March 1947) is an Iranian musician, composer and music teacher.

As one of the most famous composers of classical music in Iran, he has created numerous works based on common forms in Western music, such as: symphony, concerto, suite, cantata, prelude, fugue, symphonic poem, rhapsody and other traditional methods, which often add space.

Romantic music is near and at the same time it has not been without the influence of Iranian music.

About twenty symphonies of his works have been recorded and published so far, which is the most numerous among the works of Iranian composers, which is why he is referred to as the "Father of the Iranian Symphony".

Shahin Farhat was born on 28 March 1947, in Tehran.

His father, Gholam Ali Farhat, was a physician, a judge of justice, and a student of Darvish Khan.

His uncle (Ebrahim Farhat) was also a student of Darvish Khan.

According to him, his mother knew French well, was considered a member of the Mostofi family, and his family history dates back to Hatef Esfahani, a poet of the Afshari and Zandi eras.

Shahin Farhat started learning music at the age of four or five, and learned the knowledge of Iranian music from his father, who was his first music teacher.

He says that one day at the age of seven or eight, when he and his cousin spend the summer in Shemiran, he was influenced by works such as Beethoven's Overture Fidelio, Johannes Brahms' Hungarian dance, Kami Saint-Saens' Dance of the Dead, and part of Symphony No. 94.

Hayden, who was broadcast on the radio, decided to pursue classical music in earnest.

He started playing the piano at the age of thirteen.

He first studied piano with Carmin Osorio, a Spanish musician, and later with Emmanuel Malik Aslanian.

The first piece he made as a teenager was a string quartet played by his friends, including Mohammad Sarir and Massoud Pourfarrokh performed at a home concert.

From the age of 16, he composed pieces, some of which were broadcast on the radio at the same time.

Farhat was also interested in theater as a teenager and acted in several television theaters.

He completed his secondary education at Amir Atabak School in Tehran, receiving a natural diploma.

After high school, Shahin Farhat decided to travel abroad to continue his education at the age of seventeen.

At that time, because he did not have a student visa for music, he took a medical exam and was accepted to enter the University of California.

Before the trip, his parents told him, "Change your major to music as soon as you arrive in the United States," and Shahin Farhat, who was happy and surprised, asked why.

His parents argued that if he studied medicine, he would become an ordinary doctor, but if he studied music, he would surely become a successful musician.

Shahin Farhat followed his parents' advice.

He went to the United States in 1964 and after two semesters of medical studies, he started playing the piano at UCLA.

He followed the piano with artists such as Alfred Ponce.

At this time, he composed his first professional piece at the age of 18.

After living in exile for a year and a half, Farhat could not bear to be away from his family and returned to Iran before receiving his degree.

In 1966, at the same time as launching the field of music at the University of Tehran, he, along with artists such as Esfandiar Monfardzadeh, Dariush Dolatshahi and Massoud Pourfarrokh, was one of the first music students to enter the university.

Like Houshang Ostvar and Thomas Kristen David.

Finally, in 1970, he graduated from the University of Tehran with a bachelor's degree in music.

After receiving his bachelor's degree, Farhat went to the Sorbonne in France to continue his studies.

He first studied music at the Sorbonne, but later moved to the University of Strasbourg, one of the most prestigious music universities at the time.

He received his master's degree in musicology from the University of Strasbourg, France, and then traveled to the United States after receiving an invitation from the University of New York School of Music.

He continued composing in the classes of Ezra Lederman (American composer) and received a master's degree in composition from New York University.For his composition dissertation at New York University, he composed his first work, Khayyam Symphony, based on eleven quatrains by Khayyam Neyshabouri.

In 1976, it was performed by the Tehran Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Farhad Meshkat, with the voices of Hossein Sarshar (baritone) and Peri Zanganeh (soprano).

He later remained for a time at New York University, where he was hired as a professor.

He then returned to France to write his doctoral dissertation on the works of composers.

Iranian wrote.

Shahin Farhat returned to Iran in 1976.

A year later, when he decided to return to the United States, his father died and he remained in Iran.

At this time he was employed by the University of Tehran.