The Eishan Ensemble’s groundbreaking orchestral performances draw on a rich tapestry of contemporary and classical music traditions from both East and West.

Founded in 2016 by acclaimed Persian-Australian tar player and composer Hamed Sadeghi, the ensemble’s core members are Adem Yilmaz on percussion, Michael Avgenicos on saxophone, and Maximillian Alduca on double bass.

“Adem is fun and I see him as my cousin,” says Sadeghi. “He comes from Istanbul and I come from Tehran, as neighbours we share a lot in common. He loves tapping on things! And I am constantly learning different rhythms from him.”

“Michael has a very smart sense of humour that I really like. I have known him for a long time and being next to him gives me confidence.” 

“Max is a very bright lovely human; he brings joy to the band.”

The Eishan Ensemble’s repertoire consists predominantly of Sadeghi’s original compositions which feature diverse improvisatory idioms, including jazz.  

“My musical journey began when my mum bought me a tar when I was 14 and I never stopped playing since then,” shared Sadeghi. “I started with Persian traditional music and Radif which is based on oral tradition, learning the old way of playing scales and songs and improvisation. The more I took lessons the more I fell in love with this instrument and when I was 18 I was sure I wanted to be a musician.”

Sadeghi built upon his traditional training with years learning western composition, harmony and counterpoint in Tehran and Kuala Lumpur.

“Although I have a huge respect for traditions, I’ve always been seeking to create new sounds,” he said. “I started my own compositions when I hit 30 and that was when I moved to Australia. Meeting the right musicians in Australia also gave me very good opportunities to continue composing music.”

The Eishan Emsemble’s music, as composed by Sadeghi, defies conventional genre labels. It has been variously described as ‘Persian chamber jazz’ and ‘Middle Eastern jazz fusion’.

“I believe there are big similarities between Middle Eastern classical music and western Jazz and I am touching on those similarities,” explained Sadeghi. 

“Persian classical music in ensemble performances has strong elements of chamber music. And in improvisation and solo performances it has strong elements of Jazz. However Persian classical music can be very linear and horizontal where Western Jazz can be very vertical. My music sits between these two worlds and it utilises both genres.” 

While drawing parallels between these musical forms seemed obvious to Sadeghi, he admitted putting his ideas into practice was not so straightforward.

“It is not easy to create music based on these similarities, because of two reasons; it is easy and it is complicated!” Sadeghi said. “I took my time in this journey and I think in Eishan we have been successful in presenting a new musical language that organically follows between different genres.”

Sadeghi finds inspiration for his music from many sources, from the beauty of the Australian landscape to the challenges of living in Australia as a migrant; the distance he feels from his hometown and the close friendships of his musical collaborators.  

“Sometimes inspirations hit me from nowhere, and then they get developed and shaped. Sometimes everything forms around a simple phrase, sometimes multiple lines are created and go through a complicated journey. I leave enough space in my composition for improvisation so that we can express ourselves as we want.”

The Eishan Ensemble has toured extensively, both internationally and throughout Australia, but this is their first time performing at the Brisbane Festival. 

“Eishan Ensemble has performed two full house concerts in the past in Brisbane but I’ve never had a chance to perform or see a show at Brisbane Festival,” said Sadeghi. “It is a wonderful opportunity for us to return to Brisbane, develop our following, catch up with other artists and check out other shows.”

Eishan Ensemble will be performing at the Queensland Conservatorium on September 14. 

brisbanefestival.com.au