Programming Advisor

Conductor and composer Shardad Rohani was born in Tehran and educated at the Music Academy and Conservatory of Music in Vienna, Austria. He is currently the Music and Artistic Director of the Roudaki Orchestra and a frequent guest conductor with the Pacific Symphony. From 2015 to 2020, Rohani also served as the Musical Director and Principal Conductor of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra. His leadership was instrumental in the orchestra’s revival and in re-establishing Tehran’s cultural ties with the international arts community, including notable collaborations with conductors such as Riccardo Muti.

Rohani composed and conducted the anthem for Iran’s National Soccer Team during the 2018 World Cup, and was commissioned to write the music for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 13th Asian Olympic Games held in Thailand. An acclaimed composer and conductor, he has led many of the world’s top ensembles, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Austrian Chamber Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

He rose to international prominence as the conductor, arranger, and performer for Yanni Live at the Acropolis, the second-best selling music concert video of all time, viewed by more than 500 million people across 65 countries. His most recent large-scale work, Sinus Persicus Suite, was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices at Abbey Road Studios and has since been performed throughout Europe and the United States.

Rohani has received numerous accolades, including the A.K.M. Scholarship (Vienna), ASCAP Scholarship (Los Angeles), and the Jerry Fielding Award for film composers. His recordings of classical masterpieces—especially Tchaikovsky’s complete ballets—have received critical acclaim, with In Tune magazine (Japan) offering particularly strong praise.

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