Hormoz Farhat Born 1929 Tehran, is a significant Iranian composer, ethnomusicologist and University lecturer,  emeritus professor of music, a fellow of Trinity College, Dublin.

Musical career

He studied music at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Mills College, California, graduating with the degrees of BA in music, MA in composition and PhD in composition and ethnomusicology.

His composition teachers included Darius Milhaud, Lukas Foss and Roy Harris.

Farhat's PhD dissertation "The Dastgah Concept in Persian Music" was published in 1990 by Cambridge University Press.

Awards and honors

Head of music department of Tehran university before 1979 revolution for years.
The Golden Plaque for Best Music, 1970. for the film Cow.

Works

For Orchestra: Mazandarani Rhapsody, Flute Concerto, Clarinet Concerto, etc.
Chamber works: String Quartet, Fugue in Dashti, etc.
For piano: Persian Suite.

Film Music: Gaav (Cow), Postchi, and Aagha-ye Haaloo, all directed by Dariush Mehrjui. Aaraamesh dar hozoor-e digaraan, and Saadegh Kordeh, both directed by Naaser Taghvaaei.

His compositions have been performed widely by, among many others, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and English Chamber Orchestra and most recently by the pianist Soheil Nasseri in Carnegie Hall and Merkin Hall in New York as well as in the Strathmore Music Center.

Hormoz Farhat was married to the academic philosopher Maria Baghramian and had a son Robert. His first son Kamran passed away in his youth.

Farhat died in Dublin, Ireland, aged 93.