Humanities Division
Doctoral Student (DMA)
Graduate
Arts Division
Music Center
Music Center
Academic Personnel Office
Vahid Jahandari is a dynamic transdisciplinary musician, educator, and scholar specializing in global music studies. Award-winning composer of acoustic and electronic music, Jahandari's works have been performed and recorded in North America, Europe, and Asia. He has received awards, including first prizes at 2Agosto and Pejman competitions for His orchestral and chamber music, and commissions include the Grammy nominee ensemble, PubliQuartet.
Jahandari is a multi-instrumentalist and improviser who works across various genres and mediums. His music has been selected and performed at numerous festivals, including ISCM World Music Days in Estonia, the World Saxophone Congress in Croatia, SXSW, SEAMUS, SPLICE, and many more.
Currently pursuing His DMA in Composition at UC Santa Cruz, Jahandari holds degrees in Composition from the University of Texas at Austin (M.M.), where He served as a Teaching Assistant in Digital Music, and from the Tehran University of Art (B.M.).
2024 Apr.
Indian Midsummer, Actor, Theater Arts eXperimental Theater, UCSC. Performed as the main actor in a staged reading of an operetta within a dance/ videographic play. The event, curated by Dr. Hester and featuring a libretto by Professor Yamashita, explored themes of anthropology, speculative fiction, and the Anthropocene. Presented by the UCSC Digital Arts and New Media and Music Department as part of the April in Santa Cruz Festival. Co-sponsored by The Humanities Institute.26th Annual Graduate Students in Music - City University of New York
Musicking while Uprising.
2023 Jan. University of the Future, Now—Grant on behalf of Dean Celine Shimizu to develop and teach a summer course on the global impact of Hip Hop.
With a strong background in both teaching and research across diverse areas of music, my research interests lie at the intersection of music theory, digital sound, and cultural studies. I have served as a Teaching Assistant for courses ranging from "Introduction to Jazz" and "Survey of Rap and Hip Hop" to advanced courses like "Theory, Literature and Musicianship" and "Digital Arts - Computer Orchestra." My research explores the cultural significance of popular and experimental music, with a particular focus on the political dimensions of sound, digital composition, and the integration of technology in music performance. I am also deeply interested in the properties of sound consumption and how digital tools shape both the creation and interpretation of sound consumption. My broad experience informs my approach to musicianship, where I seek to foster critical thinking and creative exploration in improvisation, composition, electroacoustic production, and sound studies within the context of the humanities and across cultures.
