Vahid Shahidifar

Musicians

Vahid Shahidifar was born on 25 February 1965 in Mashhad, Iran, and has been living in Germany since 1986. As a self-taught musician, he studied the Persian Radif tradition—the classical repertoire of Persian music—as well as Santur performance and Persian classical singing. He also devoted himself to exploring the ancient musical heritage of his homeland, Iran. From 2000 to 2015, he was a member of the Ensemble Theatrum at Hohenerxleben Castle, where he served as Artistic Director for international cultural evenings featuring music from diverse traditions around the world. He composes contemporary Persian art music, works for Santur and string ensembles, and stage music for theatrical productions such as “The Song of Songs” and “The Conference of the Birds.” Drawing inspiration from the rich tradition of Persian classical music, he has developed a distinctive musical language that bridges Eastern and Western cultural influences. He also composed and produced music for his own theatre productions, including “Leyli and Majnun” and “Hassan Katchal.” In 2015, he founded the Persian ensemble “Hamnavazan” in Halle (Saale), Germany. In 2013, he was awarded a composition scholarship by the Arts Foundation of Saxony-Anhalt for the creation of a concerto for Santur and orchestra. The work premiered in June 2014 with the Central German Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra of Schönebeck. Vahid Shahidifar performs regularly throughout Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, and on numerous concert and cultural stages across Germany, including Cologne, Berlin, Nuremberg, Dresden, and Leipzig, as well as at the Iranian-German Theatre Festival. He has collaborated with ensembles and musicians such as the Rossini Quartet of Magdeburg, the Tanabe Quartet of the MDR Symphony Orchestra, and members of the Central German Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Schönebeck. Among his more recent artistic activities are the composition for the theatre production “Birds” at neues theater Halle in 2019, chamber music projects for Santur and strings with the Hallensia Quartet, and the program “Persian and German Music & Poetry” with the Duo Parwaneh.