Golfam KHAYAM’s music is described by AL Jazeera as “Innovative Art”
Iranian composer and improviser, her career reflects her unique musical language through the integration of her native musical elements within a contemporary experimental musical framework. Golfam has appeared extensively as performer, composer, and her music is being performed worldwide, spreading her musical message in various projects which has been featured as in Elbphilharmonie, NPR “Songs we love”, Danish Cultural Radio, BBC3, Deutche welle, New World Orchestra, chamber orchestra in Geneva Grande Salle.
Since 2016 she has signed with the prestigious German label ECM records along with numerous other recording labels worldwide.
Golfam Khayam was born and grew up in Iran in a family of artists in Tehran. Her selected commissions and collaborations include Stephan Schmidt (Basel), Ivan Podyomov (principal oboist of Concertgebouw), Copenhagen Guitar Ensemble , Ensemble 21 Geneva, Isabel Villanueva, William Kanengeiser (USC), HEM Geneva String Orchestra premiering by Elena Schwarz, Klangwerkstatt Berlin, Opera Aix en Provence among others. She has initiated a research on technique adaptations from Persian regional ethnic instruments which reflects in a publication “Tradition and Synthesis” (Doberman), these findings include ornamentations and creation process.
Winner of numerous competitions, scholarships, and prizes. She has been named as the selected composer at the International Music Council, Rostrum of composers in the "Windows on the World" category in 2016 based in Paris. Winner of Residency in Festival Aix en Provence. She received HES-SO full fellowship award for the research project of “New Vocabulary” shedding light on the concept of synthesis and cross culture fusion in contemporary music. She has been actively giving workshops on the subject of improvisation and synthesis as guest lecturer which includes Aarhus Royal Academy, Copenhagen Royal Music Academy, Geneva University and Luzern Music University. She was selected as composer in residence for ENOA network for Opera creation journey with Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.
She holds Master of Music from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati (USA). She continued her studies at the HEMGE (Switzerland) with her tutor Dusan Bogdanovic, parallel during which she acquired the degree of Interprétation Specialisée Solist. She moved on with studies of composition and orchestration with Nicolas Bolens, Victor Cordero, Marc-André Rappaz and acquired the degree of Master of Composition. She continued with compositional studies in a fellowship program at the Geneva University. She is currently Assistant Professor at Art University of Tehran.