Amir Zaheri

Dr. Amir Zaheri is a composer, performer, educator, and liturgical artist whose work synthesizes centuries-old practices with urgent contemporary relevance. Widely recognized for the depth, breadth, and integrity of his artistry, he is Associate Professor and Head of Music Composition at The University of Alabama, where he also serves as University Organist, Carillonneur of the Historic Denny Chimes, and Artistic Director of the Contemporary Music Ensemble.

His music, performed worldwide and acclaimed for its emotional range and structural clarity, encompasses choral and instrumental works, fixed and spatialized media, interdisciplinary collaborations, liturgical music, experimental installations, and popular forms. Zaheri's performances and premieres span more than three dozen national and international festivals and venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, ClarinetFest (Spain, Kansas, Madrid), the Berlin International Art Film Festival, the International Tuba Euphonium Conference, the International Horn Society Conference, Electronic Music Midwest, the Contact Dance International Film Festival, the Hot Springs National Music Festival, the On Art Film Festival (Warsaw), Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema, Dansmuseet (Stockholm), the International Experimental Film Forum, International Competition of Animation Films (Lisbon), Frame X Frame Filmfest (Houston), and Critical Mass: CI@50 (Oberlin), among others.

As a performer

As a performer, Zaheri maintains an active career as a recitalist and soloist with orchestras and choral ensembles. His performances, particularly of his own works, reflect a dedication to creative presence and deep listening. He continues the legacy of improvisation within the organ tradition, offering spontaneous responses in both liturgical and concert settings. His performance practice is grounded in interpretation, embodiment, and invitation.

Collaboration

An ardent supporter of collaborative art-making, Zaheri collaborated closely with choreographer and screendancemaker Rebecca Salzer. Together they examined issues of social justice and the experiences of those who had been Othered, addressing the human toll of imperilment, including the refugee crisis in Greece, which the two witnessed firsthand in 2016.

Zaheri and Salzer partnered on several projects that earned selection for performance and awards from numerous eminent international venues, such as the ScreenDance Miami Festival (2023, Gliff), the International Competition of Animation Films in Lisbon (2022, Gliff), the Frame X Frame Filmfest in Houston (2022, Gliff), the International Fine Arts Film Festival in Hollywood (2022, Gliff), Critical Mass: CI@50 in Oberlin (2022, Gliff), Berlin International Art Film Festival (2022, Gliff), On Art Film Festival in Warsaw (2021, Gliff), Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema in Boulder (2021, the window kind of opens by itself), Contact Dance International Film Festival in Toronto (2021, the window kind of opens by itself), Dansmuseet in Stockholm (2021, the window kind of opens by itself), the International Conference Theatre Between Tradition and Contemporaneity in Austria (2019, Explorations of Loss), and the International Experimental Film Forum in Los Angeles (2017, May I Take Your Picture?).

"A real mentor, not simply a teacher."
— University of Alabama student

Counterpoint as a way of thinking

Zaheri's creative and pedagogical life is deeply shaped by his expertise in counterpoint, not as a historical artifact, but as a living architecture of musical thought. He teaches 18th-century contrapuntal principles, particularly motivic development, as enduring frameworks that clarify structure, enrich gesture, and foster coherence across musical styles and mediums. For Zaheri, counterpoint is not merely the alignment of independent lines; it is a compositional worldview, an approach to crafting music that balances intuition and intention, motion and memory. He demonstrates how contrapuntal thinking can inform everything from choral and orchestral writing to electronic and spatial music. Whether composing, performing, or mentoring, he treats counterpoint as a method of deep listening, of constructing meaning through contrast, return, transformation, and resonance. In Zaheri's work, counterpoint is not simply a technique to be preserved but a way of composing attentively, thinking relationally, and hearing more fully.

As an educator

As an educator, Zaheri directs a dynamic studio of undergraduate and graduate composers and teaches an expansive and rigorous curriculum, including Undergraduate and Graduate Applied Composition Lessons, Composition Seminar, Contemporary Ensemble, Multidisciplinary and Collaborative Composition, 16th-Century Counterpoint, 18th-Century Counterpoint, Advanced 18th-Century Counterpoint, Instrumentation and Orchestration, Advanced Orchestration, and multiple specialized courses in analysis, such as Cabaret and Musical Theatre Works, Minimalist Music, Post-Tonal Music, 19th-Century German Lieder, and 20th-Century Music.

Within the School of Music, he has also served as Associate Director, Director of Academic Affairs, and Director of Student Affairs and Student Wellness, where his work has centered on fostering environments of high expectation, individual development, and communal care.

Beyond the university

Beyond the university, Zaheri serves as Director of Music & Worship Arts and Organist at First United Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa, where he is responsible for the creative and intentional design of liturgy and the musical leadership of the congregation.

Recognition

Western Kentucky University inducted Amir Zaheri as the 122nd alumnus into its prestigious Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2023, the highest honor bestowed upon an alumnus. Selected from a network of nearly 200,000, the 122 inductees represent less than 0.1% of WKU's alumni, and Zaheri is the youngest recipient of this honor in its history.

Separately, in 2019, the WKU Department of Music named Zaheri to its Faculty and Alumni Wall of Fame, a departmental honor recognizing his work as a composer, organist, and conductor, and distinct from the university-wide Hall of Distinguished Alumni above.

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At a glance

• University of AlabamaAssociate Professor & Head of Music Composition · University Organist · Carillonneur of the Historic Denny Chimes · Artistic Director, Contemporary Music Ensemble.
• Premiered atCarnegie Hall · Edinburgh Fringe · Berlin International Art Film Festival · 30+ national and international venues.
• CollaborationScreendance collaborations with choreographer Rebecca Salzer (2016–2023), on social justice and displacement.
• LiturgicalDirector of Music & Worship Arts and Organist, First United Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa.
• Highest honorWKU Hall of Distinguished Alumni, 2023: the university's highest alumni honor, and its youngest recipient.
• Departmental honorWKU Department of Music Faculty and Alumni Wall of Fame, 2019.