About Me.

Shahriyar Farshid (Ari) is a Los Angeles-based composer, music mentor, pianist, photographic artist, and polyglot. He is also the Director of Photography and Audiovisual Media at Flatverse Studio.

 

As a multidisciplinary artist, his work encompasses instrumental and vocal solo/ensemble compositions, electroacoustic music, audiovisual and mixed media, photographic arts, calligraphy, prints, and multimedia installations.

 

Trained as a classical composer, Ari began learning piano at age 9, later pursuing his studies at Tehran’s prestigious Honarestan-e Musighi (Tehran Conservatory of Music), where he also received lessons in composition and theory. He moved to Yerevan to continue his education at the Komitas Conservatory, studying composition with Artur Avanesov and receiving private instruction from Vache Sharafyan. There, he refined his skills in orchestration, harmony, counterpoint, ear training, fugue, and musical analysis with Ashot Ghazarian.

 

In 2010, Ari was admitted to the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, where he further developed his voice as a composer under principal mentors Reinhard Febel and Christian Ofenbauer. He also studied electronic music, audiovisual media, and computer-assisted composition at the Studio für Elektronische Musik under Achim Bornhöft. His extensive studies included conducting, piano, music theory, orchestration, musicology, and counterpoint.

 

Ari has participated in masterclasses and private instruction with renowned composers including Helmut Lachenmann, Chaya Czernowin, Beat Furrer, Enno Poppe, Thomas Larcher, and Georg Friedrich Haas. His music has been performed internationally by ensembles and soloists such as ensemble recherche, Kairos Quartet, Phorminx, Marino Formenti, and Gertrud Steinkogler, with appearances at festivals including Wien Modern and Salzburger Dialoge.

 

A primarily self-taught photographer, Ari was first mentored by his late brother—a calligrapher, poet, graphic designer, and visual artist. He later refined his craft through private studies in aesthetics theory and photographic technique, completing advanced programs at the International Center of Photography.

 

His deep background in classical and contemporary music profoundly shapes his photographic vision—particularly his sensitivity to light, balance, and movement. His studio work focuses on intellectually and artistically fluent individuals—musicians, authors, thinkers, and performers—capturing their presence with nuance and expressive clarity.

 

Reflecting on his path, he notes: "My experience as an artist is shaped by a life lived across languages, the study of diverse musical traditions, and a deep engagement with literature, poetry, and personal memory."

 

Originally from Tehran, Ari has lived in Yerevan, Salzburg, Sacramento, and New York before settling in Los Angeles. A devoted polyglot, he speaks Armenian, English, German, and Farsi fluently, with some knowledge of Arabic and other languages. Outside of his artistic and teaching endeavors, he enjoys rollerblading and the disciplined practices of Aikido and Kyudo—pursuits that embody the same flow, harmony, and intentionality that define his creative life.