From Don Juan to Persia and beyond: Emily Hazrati appointed Associate Composer at Oxford International Song Festival

Emily Hazrati (Photo: May Chi)

Oxford International Song Festival has announced that Emily Hazrati will be the Associate Composer for 2024/26, following on from previous Associate Composers, Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Alex Ho. 

At this year’s festival soprano Ella Taylor and pianist Jocelyn Freeman gave the premiere of two of Hazrati’s songs inspired by Byron’s Don Juan with texts by Joseph Spence [see my review of Taylor and Freeman’s performance of two more of Hazrati and Spence’s Don Juan songs at Song Easel].

Established in 2019, the Associate Composer scheme is a multi-year role involving three commissions, increasing in scope each year, and showcasing the composer’s other work at the Festival

In 2025, Hazrati will create a new song-cycle in collaboration with writer Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh inspired by stories and characters from Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh (Book of Kings), the national epic of ancient Persia. And a large-scale work will follow in 2026.

Oxford International Song Festival 2025 will take place 10 – 25 October 2025, full details from the festival website.