Showan Tavakol

Kamancheh classes

Iranian violin classes

A versatile Iranian-Canadian musician and accomplished Montreal-based composer specializing in the kamancheh and Iranian violin, he bridges cultures through his transcultural perspective, seamlessly metamorphosing traditional world music influences into contemporary classical compositions. His works have been performed in Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America concerts. As a composer in Canada, he has collaborated with such distinguished ensembles as Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Molinari String Quartet, Bozzini String Quartet, Ensemble de musique contemporaine (EMC) and Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal (OUM), and OBAC. He has also composed for film and theatre, notably for the film “Manuscripts Don’t Burn” (Cannes Film Festival, 2013), “Scenes of Extraction” (Berlin Film Festival, 2023), and the theatre “L du déluge” ( Montreal, 2023).

As a performer, he has been collaborating with various traditional world music ensembles (global music) for over 20 years and has been a soloist in several of his classical compositions. These include “Haamun”, his Concerto for Kamancheh and Symphony Orchestra, “Hologramme Modal”, his piece for Kamancheh and String Quartet, “Le Sifflet du Phénix”, his Double Concerto for Oud, Kamancheh and String Orchestra, and “Heterotopia,” his piece for Kamancheh and Chamber Orchestra, performed in Montreal by the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne with him as soloist. He has also participated in the recording of albums of his musical works in Iran, Germany and Canada: “Epiphenomenon”, “Parallax View”, “On Trolley of Time” and “Suge Sarv”. In addition, the album “Echo of the Mountains”, his co-composition for the duo Perse-Inca, showcases contemporary world music and was released by Analekta in Canada.

Showan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music and a Master’s degree in Kamancheh Performance from the University of Tehran. In Quebec, Canada, he obtained a master’s degree (2017) in music composition from the Université de Montréal, where he also earned his doctorate (2024) in music composition and sound design. He is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre, a member of SOCAN, the Canadian League of Composers, and a professor of Kamancheh and violin at the Centre des Musiciens du Monde in Montreal. He is the recipient of several prizes and bursaries, including 2nd prize in composition at the Prix collégien de musique contemporaine 2019 (Québec), 3rd prize in composition at the Pure Vienna International Classical Music Competition 2019 (Austria), winner of the OUM composition competition (2021), the Perra & Cholette Superior Bursary (2021) and the OICRM-ESP doctoral bursary (2022).