About

Alireza Khodayari is an Iranian composer and Tar performer, currently finishing his undergraduate studies in composition at Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship, studying with Marti Epstein. He began learning music through Iranian microtonal traditions on the Setar before focusing on the Tar and studied Iranian music and Tar performance for three years at Tehran University of Art, where admission was highly competitive. Before university, he completed his high school education in mathematics and physics.

Alireza’s work focuses on timbre, texture, and the creation of distinctive sonic worlds through close collaboration with performers. He is particularly interested in combining the colors of different instruments to create hybrid sonorities that can function as newly imagined instruments. Alongside acoustic work, he composes for small ensembles and solo instruments withelectronics, exploring interactions between acoustic and electronic sound. Alireza uses perception and cognition as compositional tools to interpret and translate ideas, words, and images into his musical language, shaping pieces that balance conceptual depth and sonic exploration.

Alireza’s works have been performed internationally, including in the United States, Iran, and Europe, by some important ensembles and artists. His music has been performed and read by ensembles including, the JACK Quartet, Hypercube, Mivos Quartet, and Sound Icon, the Rhythm Method quartet and etc. In 2024, he was selected as a JACK Studio Reading artist, and his composition is performed as part of the International Viola Congress concerts in Paris in January 2026. Since moving to the United States, he continues to perform actively as both a composer and Tar performer, and his collaborative experiences often inspire new compositional directions. In 2025, he received the Amy Beach Award from Berklee’s Composition Department. Alireza’s music is shaped by collaboration, experimentation, and the synthesis of instrumental colors, reflecting his Iranian microtonal background while exploring new sonic possibilities.