Roshanne Etezady

Roshanne Etezady’s League Commission will be premiered by the New Jersey Symphony.

Additional Performances TBD

Roshanne Etezady has been hailed by the Detroit Free Press as “a promising and confident composer.” Her music ranges from clever and colorful to sublimely subdued; it combines lyricism with rhythmic intensity and engages performers and audiences alike.

As a young musician, Dr. Etezady studied piano and flute, and developed an interest in many different styles of music, from the musicals of Steven Sondheim to the 1980s power ballads and Europop of her teenage years. One fateful evening in 1986, she saw Philip Glass and his ensemble perform as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live. This event marked the beginning of her interest in contemporary classical music, as well as her interest in being a composer herself.

Her compositional voice tends toward vivid gesture, rhythmic drive, and a willingness to follow an idea past the point of politeness. Critics have noted the results: Fanfare Magazine called her music “fresh, effusive, and immediately likeable,” while the American Record Guide described it as “speedy, heady, and pleasingly bravura.” In addition, her music has earned recognition from organizations including the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Korean Society of 21st Century Music, the Jacob K. Javits Foundation, Meet the Composer, and ASCAP.

Photo courtesy of Roshanne Etezady.