Saba Alizadeh
Born in Tehran and currently based in the Netherlands, Saba Alizadeh is a prominent figure in contemporary Iranian music.
A virtuoso of the Kamancheh, he embodies the spirit of Iranian classical music while continuously reimagining its expressive and sonic possibilities.
His work bridges tradition and experimentation, combining the precision of classical performance with exploratory approaches to sound and composition.
A graduate of the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where he studied Experimental Sound Practices, Alizadeh’s research and creative work investigate the concept of “Silence”
across musical, historical, and socio-political contexts. Through archival and field recordings, he examines silence as both a sonic and cultural construct-an active space of memory, resistance, and introspection-integrating these ideas into his compositional and performance practice.
In his compositional process, Alizadeh combines signal processing, no-input mixer , and modular synthesis with acoustic instrumentation, particularly the Kamancheh. This hybrid methodology enables him to explore the intersection of traditional tonality and electronic abstraction, constructing complex sound structures that engage with ideas of temporality,instability, and texture.
His film score for The Musician (dir. Reza Riahi), shortlisted for the 94th Academy Awards, won Best Music at Fimucité and Tofuzi Festivals (2021). He also received a LOLA Award nomination (German Film Academy)for Empty Nets(dir.Behrooz Karamizadeh) which he co-composed with John Gürtler and Jan Miserre.
"Alizadeh's compositions evoke both the personal and the political through the use of mixed media, electroacoustic processing and improvisation”
“Alizadeh’s level of control of both the traditional and technological aspects of his music is clear from the outset. What results is a beautifully fragmented exploration of internal space, which often wanders between the contemplative and the neurotic” (Songline magazine)
Alizadeh is an internationally acclaimed photographer as well. His series "Light & Soil" has been exhibited in many cities such as Tehran,Moscow,Paris,Kuwait,London, Washington D.C ,Breda photo festival.
Saba is the son of the world renowned Hossein Alizadeh and has recorded and performed worldwide for the past decades with him.