Farhad Poupel
Composer in Residence
Farhad Poupel is a UK-based Iranian composer whose works are frequently performed internationally by today’s leading musicians and prestigious ensembles, including performances by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.; and at the National Opera in Warsaw, Poland.
His music has been featured in many other prominent venues and festivals worldwide, including Arlene Schnitzer Hall in Portland, USA; Cincinnati Music Hall in Ohio, USA; Minnesota Orchestra Hall in Minnesota, USA; Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan; King’s Place and Smith Square Hall in London, UK; La Roque-d’Anthéron Piano Festival, France; Biarritz Festival, France; Janacek Academy of Music and Performing Art in Brno, Czech Republic; Karlskrona International Piano Festival, Sweden; Capitol Theatre of Windsor in Canada; and Roudaki Hall in Tehran, Iran.
Renowned artists and ensembles such as Peter Jablonski, Kotaro Fukuma, Guy Johnston, Jeffrey Biegel, Margaret Fingerhut, National Symphony Orchestra (Washington), Key Chorale, Portland Youth Philharmonic, Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, Cincinnati Symphony’s Youth Orchestra, National Orchestra of Iran, and the Windsor Symphony Orchestra have performed his works. His compositions have also been featured in collaborations with writer William Nicholson and Tasmin Greig and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 In Tune (UK) and NPR Radio 4 (Netherlands). He was the composer-in-residence of the Mithra orchestra in Tehran, creating a series of arrangements/compositions based on Shahnameh (The Book of the Kings). He will be the composer-in-residence for the Gulf Coast Symphony from January to May 2027
The critical acclaim which his music continues to receive worldwide led to commissions such as Road to Bach for solo piano by Kotaro Fukuma, The Legend of Bijan and Manijeh for piano, choir, and orchestra by Windsor Symphony Orchestra and Jeffrey Biegel, Fantasia on Themes from Verdi’s Simon Boccenegra for solo piano by Peter Jablonski, Quartet for The Beginning of Time for Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Piano for Paddock Wood Proms in the UK, Zaal And Roudabeh for string sextet by Brundibar Festival, and Laughter of Gordafarid for narrator and piano by Margaret Fingerhut.
In his creative work, Poupel is inspired by stories from literary masterpieces from around the world (including the Persian epic The Book of the Kings and Greek myths), poetry, art, mythology, and cinema. As a composer, he aims to expand on and continue with Sibelius’s and Brahms’s organic use of form and thematic relationships, and is drawn to Ravel’s piano writing. He is also drawn to a sense of narrative in music, particularly inspired by Shostakovich’s 11th Symphony and influenced by narrative form in other arts, such as cinema and literature. In his compositions, these multi-faceted influences manifest in a coherent, personal, and sincere language that transcends cultural boundaries and has both intellectual and emotional appeal for audiences.
He is passionate about music education and youth orchestras and has had numerous performances/commissions by them, such as Ode to Childhood, commissioned by Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies and Kalammazoo Junior Symphony, and Dance of the Blossoms, commissioned by Portland Youth Philharmonic.
Poupel was born in Isfahan, Iran, where he began his musical education by studying the Persian Dulcimer (santur) and piano. The great Iranian composer Saeed Sharifian mentored him in harmony, counterpoint, and composition. In 2019, he made his international professional debut with Zayande-Rud for string orchestra, performed by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in Canada. His music has been in demand internationally ever since.
Farhad Poupel holds the prestigious Global Talent visa, which allows him to collaborate with an international community of musicians on a range of composition projects.
Website FarhadPoupel.com
Instagram @farhad.poupel