UCLA Music School Secures $5 Million for Iranian Music Institute: Gramian-Emrani Center
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has announced the establishment of the Gramian-Emrani Center for Iranian Music, a new initiative dedicated to the study, performance, and preservation of Iranian music traditions.
This innovative centre, which will be part of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, was founded with a $5 million pledge from Haleh Emrani in honour of her late husband, Ahmad Gramian. Ahmad Gramian, a founding trustee and then chairman of Farhang Foundation, was a prominent figure in the Iranian community.
The centre builds on UCLA's existing Iranian Music Program, which was established after a 2018 gift from Farhang Foundation. It aims to increase focus on the research and study of Iranian music, while also hosting public performances.
UCLA's School of Music, which was formally established as UCLA's 12th professional school in 2016, boasts over 40 ensembles performing music from around the world. The Gramian-Emrani Center for Iranian Music will blend the twin strengths of the school: music performance and scholarship.
The centre will provide invaluable support for the next generation of artists and scholars, offering an interdisciplinary education that prizes music performance and scholarship, and emphasises active engagement in the greater Los Angeles community.
The inaugural celebration of the centre will take place on October 20 at 6 p.m. PST in Schoenberg Hall. The celebration will feature performances by the Iranshahr Orchestra, UCLA Iranian Ensemble, Kaykhosrou Pournazeri, and Sahar Boroujerdi, among others. Speakers at the event include Haleh Emrani, Richard Danielpour, and Shahab Paranj.
Los Angeles, home to an Iranian community of over 400,000 people, one of the largest concentrations of Iranian immigrants in the country, will greatly benefit from this new centre. The centre will not only serve as a hub for academic research but also as a platform for cultural exchange and appreciation of Iranian music.
The Yarshater Center for the Study of Iranian Literary Traditions, established at UCLA in 2023, and the Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World, founded in 2017, further solidify UCLA's commitment to the study of Iranian culture and heritage.
With its focus on Iranian music, the Gramian-Emrani Center for Iranian Music is poised to make significant contributions to the field, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of this rich and diverse musical tradition.
- The Gramian-Emrani Center for Iranian Music, nestled within UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music, aims to augment its existing Iranian Music Program by increasing the focus on research, study, and performance of Iranian music, blending the School's twin strengths of music performance and scholarship.
- As a hub for academic research and a platform for cultural exchange, the Gramian-Emrani Center for Iranian Music will extend beyond education and self-development, contributing to the entertainment sector by promoting the diversity and richness of Iranian music, especially within the vibrant Iranian community of Los Angeles.
