Hi friends,

I’m writing to you just having gotten home from the Guthman competition, which was one of the most wonderful few days in my musical life. In the funny turn of events that is the life of an early-career academic, I wrote a draft of this newsletter on my way to Guthman. On my way back, I went to continue it and what I found was a direct observation of my thoughts immediately prior to an incredible trip to the Bay Area and to Atlanta. I think observing my current thoughts in direct light against those I had prior to heading there is the most illuminating thing I could do in this edition of our newsletter chats.

​Here is the draft of this newsletter from pre-Guthman.

Now, I will tell you how I currently feel.

I feel very excited and very ready. On this trip, I caught up with old friends and less old but no less dear friends, and made beautiful connections with a group of wonderful thinkers and sounders who I am so grateful to know, I had some of the best chats about the internal processes and thoughts around instrument design I’ve had. I’ve made incredible friends who I’m so excited to play, build and hang with. It's funny, I still think of the same things I thought before going to Guthman but in this moment, the worries seem very pale.

aaaaaand I got to play with Nicolette Cash. That was a very special set. Developed through a day of collaborating, we took the opening of the Brahms Horn Trio Op. 40 (which those of you who know my current obsession with won’t be surprised by), and did a fragmented improvisation using a beautiful form derived from ideas of how conversations can unfold in music. Nicolette is an incredible musician and a brilliant thinker; it was such a joy to play this piece with her. It was a beautiful concert of music, with such beautiful instruments and sets (concert available in full on the stream). Lia and Patricia’s instruments were especially amazing; OH MY GOD. Ethan’s performance on the Chaos Bells was so beautiful and Kanchay Yupana is truly incredible. It engages deeply with the presence of instruments in history, time and reminds me of the agency of individuals in reshaping stories.

Thinking about instrument making is a very enjoyable place to be in right now, and there are some beautiful people thinking about organising sound and movement in very special ways. It’s been a whirlwind life to date, and for this huge network of us to have become involved with this instrument and its past and future has rocked.

I’ve got a lot to process still from the experience, but I feel a renewed energy and strength that I hope I can hold on to as the cooler months roll in.

Gigs and things: I’ve recently had some big fun in writing a few papers, which I’ll be presenting and playing at TENOR and NIME in May and June. But more on them later. Before I go, I’m super excited to be working with some wizard musicians in March and April:
​

March 23 Lunchtime concert; 1pm, PAC Auditorium, MONASH

• Ecosystem by Flora Carbo (Flora Carbo, Zac O’Connell, Bernard Alexander, Merinda Dias-Jayasinha, Mel Taylor, Hannah McKittrick)
  ​
• Quarters by Iran Sanadzadeh (2020): for snare and saxophone; performed by Flora Carbo and Kyrie Anderson. This piece has been recorded by Derek Pascoe and Jarrad Payne. I’m so excited about the live premiere of it.

COMA April 3 ADL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Structures of Change (Iran, Niran Dasika and Callum Mintzis)

Duo with Chloe Kim April 30; Longplay

Duo with Chloe Kim May 1; PAC Auditorium MONASH

7pm live concert recording of new work

Can you believe this group of legends? Can you wait? I can’t!

Stay tuned for the exciting album updates re: launch gigs.

With much gratitude to you friends who read this,
Iran x