Elmir Mirzoev is Azerbaijani composer of mostly orchestral, chamber and vocal pieces that have been performed in Europe, CIS countries and Turkey, USA and Mexico, Mongolia, Far East and Japan, also active in the promotion of new music and the organizer of the contemporary music festivals in Azerbaijan. 

 

He studied at the Azerbaijan State Conservatory (now the Baku Music Academy) from 1989-94, in the composition class of Faraj Karaev (post-graduated in 1998). Since 1998, has taught in the composition department at the Baku Music Academy. 

 

From 1995/2005 he was artistic director of the Initiative Center of Contemporary Music - Ensemble SoNoR; Organized more 20 international cultural projects since 1996.

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Participated in an international composition course in 1994 led by James Dillon and Ole Lützhow-Holm at the University of Gothenburg; in 1999 in the V International Young Composers Meeting in Apeldoorn/Holland led by Louis Andriessen, Martin Padding and Michael Smetanin; in 2004 was a participant of composition seminar at Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar led by Michael Obst and Reinhard Wolschina, in 2006 in Stockhausen Courses in Kürten.

 

From 2007/08 taught as an assistant to prof. York Höller at the Musikhochschule Köln; from 2010 taught as an assistant to prof. Alexander von Masslow at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar. From July-December 2013 - Artist in Residence as composer in Villa Sträuli, Wintenthur (Switzerland). From 2019/2022 he taught as assistant professor of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

 

Workshops, masterclasses and lectures in the New Music Marathon in Prague (Czech Republic), in Tbilisi State Conservatoire (Georgia), Association for Contemporary Music Moscow (Russia), Uzbekistan Composers Union, Krakow University (Poland), Dresdner Zentrum für zeitgenössische Musik (Germany), Hochschule für Musik Köln (Germany), Humboldt University Berlin (Germany), Van Yüzüncü Yıl University (Turkey).

 

Commissions for Pro Helvetia Foundation (Switzerland), Hellerau – Europäisches Zentrum der Künste Dresden and Freiburger Musikhochschule (Germany), Association Accroche Note (France) etc., Grants from DAAD Foundation and Goethe Institute (Germany), Alexander von Humboldt Stipendium (Germany), etc.

 

Awarded several prizes since 1996, also the award for “Best Symphonic Work” (“Seven Minutes for Orchestra”, 1999) from Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan in 2005.

 

Music has been performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonieorchester Basel, “Lviv Virtuosos” Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble de Ereprijis, Ensemble Accroche Note, Ensemble TaG, Freiburg Percussion Ensemble, Ensemble Reconsil Wien, Studio for new Music Ensemble Moscow, among others.

 

Works edited by Musik Fabrik Edition (France); Stradiva Edizione Musicale (Italy) and Sordino Ediziuns Musicals (Switzerland) and Yeni Musiqi (Azerbaijan).