Iman Habibi
Vancouver B.C. 49° 15' 39.14" N, 123° 6' 50.23" W Arts Music Person
Iman Habibi, MMUS (UBC 2010), BMUS (UBC 2008), is an award-winning composer and pianist.
Career
Hailed as “a giant in talent” (the Penticton Herald) Iman’s music has been performed by a number of noted ensembles and performers such as musica intima, The Standing Wave Ensemble, The Vancouver Bach Choir, The Prince George Symphony Orchestra, DaCapo Chamber Choir, cellist Jonah Kim, soprano Simone Osborne, tenor Keith Klassen, baritone Peter McGillivray, soprano Carla Huhtanen, mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber, and pianists Carrie-Ann Matheson, and Liz Upchurch among others, and has been workshopped by The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, The Aventa ensemble, The Atlantic Music Festival Orchestra, and Drosera ensemble. Iman Habibi’s music and performances are heard regularly across the world, in cities such as New York, London, Paris, Oslo, Toronto, Tehran, Nashville, Ottawa, and Vancouver. His Music has been programmed by prestigious concert organizations such as The Marilyn Horne Foundation (New York), The Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), Tapestry New Opera (Toronto), Vox Novus (New York), Atlantic Music Festival (Maine), the BCScene Festival (Ottawa), and the Powell Street Festival (Vancouver).
He has received numerous awards including First Prize at the SOCAN Foundation’s Awards for Young Audio Visual Composers for two consecutive years (2011-2012), The International Composers' Award at the Esoterics Competition (2012), and The Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Awards for Emerging Artist in Music (2011). He also received second prize at the 2008 Vancouver Bach Choir’s national Competition for Large Choir Works for his work “Erroneous Kudos,” and first prize for his work “Black Riders” at the 2009 Guelph Chamber Choir’s national competition. His music and interviews are broadcast regularly on radios across North America, such as CBC radio one, CBC radio two (Canada), and WQXR (New York). He has received numerous commissions including a commission to compose his first piano concerto for The Prince George Symphony Orchestra (PGSO). In Feb. 2010, Mr. Habibi appeared as the piano soloist to premiere this concerto with the PGSO. He completed his Masters degree at the University of British Columbia under the instruction of Dorothy Chang. Other teachers include Jeffrey Ryan, and Stephen Chatman. Mr. Habibi is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre, and is represented by SOCAN in Canada.
As a pianist, Iman has had the privilege of working with many great musicians, ensembles, and orchestras, He appeared as the piano soloist with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra to premiere his piano concerto in Canada, and later played it with the Atlantic Music Festival’s Orchestra in the United States. Iman was a finalist at the Inaugural Knigge National Piano Competition, and is also well-known for his collaborations with pianist Deborah Grimmett. The two pianists formed a duo in 2010, which at its debut, won third prize, and the audience choice award at The International Northwest Piano Ensemble Competition.