The Sounds of Freedom project is seeking proposals for original piano compositions that reflect and celebrate the experiences, contributions, and struggles of Iranians in the context of the woman-life-freedom movement. The selected composers will be commissioned to write solo piano works to be performed and recorded in early 2024. The proposed compositions should be between 6-8 minutes in length and convey themes such as resilience, empowerment, and bravery and/or portrays the composer’s experience since the brutal killing of Mahsa Amini in September 2022.

The selected composer will be joined by four Iranian composers residing in North America (Parisa Sabet, Bahar Royaee, Pedram Diba, Badie Khaleghian) and four pianists (Caroline Owen, James Palmer, Ariel Mo, and David Kalhous) for a concert celebrating the voice of Iranian composers on Jan. 25, 2024, at Houston’s Asia Society.