Dr Laudan Nooshin

Senior Lecturer
Director of MA and Research Programmes

    Laudan NooshinLaudan gained her BA in Music from the University of Leeds in 1984 and her MMus in Ethnomusicology from Goldsmiths' College, University of London, in 1986, where she also taught between 1987 and 1991. Her PhD thesis (Goldsmiths' College, 1996) was a study of creative performance in Iranian classical music.

     

    Prior to joining City, Laudan taught in the Department of Performing Arts at Brunel University between 1993 and 2003, where she was Course Director for Music from 2001-3. Laudan has carried out fieldwork both in Iran - in 1999, 2000 and 2002, for which she received funding from the British Institute of Persian Studies - and among Iranians in the UK.

     

    Laudan regularly reviews CDs for the world music magazine Songlines and is often contacted for advice and information on Iranian music. She has acted as a consultant on Iranian music to the Horniman Museum and is regularly invited to present research seminars at UK Universities. Laudan has convened a number of conferences for the British Forum for Ethnomusicology and is currently on the Editorial Boards for the journals Twentieth Century Music (Cambridge University Press) and Ethnomusicology Forum (Routledge).

    Main areas of research interest:

    • Creative processes in improvisation and composition, with particular reference to Iranian music.
    • Contemporary developments in Iranian traditional and popular musics.
    • Music and power: globalisation, post/neo-colonialism, orientalism and the politics of representation, particularly representation of Islam and the Middle East post 9/11.
    • Music as resistance.
    • Music and corporate global capitalism
    • Music and ethnicity/cultural identity, with specific reference to Iranians in the UK. 
    • Gender issues, with particular reference to the work of contemporary women musicians in Iran.
    • Music and healing.

    Possible Research Supervision Areas include:

    • Middle Eastern Musics
    • Contemporary developments in Iranian music
    • Music, power and ideology
    • Music and issues of globalisation
    • Music and the politics of cultural representation
    • Ethnicty, identity and music

    Publications

Books

    • In progress, Iranian Classical Music: The Discourses and Practice of Creativity, Ashgate Press (ISBN 0 7546 0703 8).
    • Music and the Play of Power in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia ed. (2009) including authored chapter "Tomorrow is Ours: Re-imagining Nation, Performing Youth in the New Iranian Pop Music". Find out more and order online at Ashgate Press.

Book Chapters and Journal Articles

    • Forthcoming, 2008, 'Jazz and its Social Meanings in Iran: From Cultural Colonialism to the Universal', in Philip Bohlman, Goffredo Plastino and Travis Jackson (eds), Jazz Worlds/World Jazz, Chicago: Chicago University Press.
    • Forthcoming, 2007, 'The Language of Rock: Iranian Youth, Popular Music, and National Identity', in Mehdi Semati (ed.), Media, Culture and Society in Iran, Routledge.
    • Forthcoming, 2007, 'Ethnomusicology, Alterity and Disciplinary Identity. Or "Do We Still Need an Ethno-", "Do We Still Need an Ology" Thoughts prompted by the BFE One-day Conference, Royal Holloway College, November 17th 2001', in Henry Stobart (ed.), The New (Ethno)musicologies, Scarecrow Press (originally published in the British Forum for Ethnomusicology Newsletter 23:17-20 [2002]).
    • 2006, with Richard Widdess, 'Improvisation in Iranian and Indian Music', Journal of  the Indian Musicological Society, 36/37: 104-19.
    • 2005, 'Underground, Overground: Rock Music and Youth Discourses in Iran', Iranian Studies (Special Issue: Music and Society in Iran), 38(3):463-94.
    • 2005, 'Subversion and Countersubversion: Power, Control and Meaning in the New Iranian Pop Music', in Music, Power and Politics, in Annie J. Randall (ed.), pp.231-72, Routledge.
    • 2004, 'Circumnavigation with a Difference? Music, Representation and the Disney Experience: It's a Small, Small World', Ethnomusicology Forum, 13(2):236-51.
    • 2003, 'Improvisation as "Other": Creativity, Knowledge and Power - The Case of Iranian Classical Music', Journal of the Royal Musical Association, 128:242-96.
    • 1998, 'The Song of the Nightingale: Processes of Improvisation in Dastgah Segah (Iranian Classical Music)', British Journal of Ethnomusicology, 7:69-116.

Conference Proceedings

    • "From prayers at dawn to techno in the park: Iran's changing soundscapes", Proceedings of the 15th Annual Meeting of the European Seminar in Ethnomusicology, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 12th-15th November 1999. click here
    • 1994, "Instrument logic, body logic: the aesthetics of motivic structure in dastgah segah", Proceedings of the 10th European Seminar in Ethnomusicology, Music Faculty, University of Oxford, August-September 1994. click here

Book/CD Reviews, Dictionary/Encyclopaedia Entries, Liner Notes, Interviews 

    • CD Liner Notes Liner for Faryad: masters of Persian music, performance by Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Hossein Alizadeh, Kayhan Kalhor and Homayoun Shajarian. World Village (USA), 468023.
    • Review of Journey to Persia: Dastan Trio, ARC Music, EUCD 1786 and Shoorideh: Parissa and Ensemble Dastan, Network 24.253, in Songlines: The World Music Magazine, September/October 2003, Issue 20:77
    • Review of Music of the Persian Mystics, ARC Music, EUCD 1792, in Songlines: The World Music Magazine, July/August 2003, Issue 19:93.
    • Review of Iran: Masters of Improvisation, Buda 1986082", in Songlines: The World Music Magazine, March/April 2003, Issue 17:85.
    • Review of Over the wind, Traditional Crossroads 80702-4300-2", in Songlines: Journeys in World Music, Winter 2001, Issue12:100.
    • Review of Rozaneh, Erato/Detour 8573-85916-2", in Songlines Journeys in World Music, Autumn 2001, Issue 11:107
    • Review of Music of Kurdistan, Koch 333 36-2", in Songlines: Journeys in World Music, Autumn/Winter 1999, Issue 4:100.
    • Review of Quest, Songlines 2402-2" in Songlines: Journeys in World Music, Autumn/Winter 1999, Issue 4:98-100.
    • Review of Mystic journey - string music of Iran, Music of the World 155 and Musique Iranienne authentique - Vol.3: setar - Mas'oud Shaari, Club du Disque Arabe CDA 401, AAA 171", in Songlines: Journeys in World Music, Summer/Autumn 1999, Issue 3:108.
    • Review of Iran: bardes du Khorasan, OCORA C560136" in Songlines: Journeys in World Music, Summer 1999, Issue 2:90-3.
    • Review of The art of improvisation, Wergo SM 1530-2" in Songlines: Journeys in World Music, Spring 1999, Issue 1:89.
    • Review of Scattering stars like dust, Traditional Crossroads CD4288", in Songlines: Journeys in World Music, Spring 1999, Issue 1: 90.
    • 2001. 'Ethnomusicology, alterity and disciplinary identity. Or "do we still need an ethno-"?, "do we still need an ology"? Thoughts prompted by the BFE One-day Conference, Royal Holloway College, November 17th 2001', British Forum for Ethnomusicology Newsletter, 23:21.
    • 2001. Biographical articles on six Iranian musicians for The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, (2nd ed., ed. Stanley Sadie): "Nur Ali Borumand", "Ali Naqi Vaziri", "Hossein Alizadeh", "Dariush Talai", "Mohammad Reza Shajarian" and "Mohammad Reza Lotfi". London: Macmillan.
    • 2000. Interviewed by Maqam Journal (Iran); interview published in volume 6: 116-119.
    • 1999. "Review of Music and song in Persia. The art of avaz by Lloyd Clifton Miller (1999, Curzon Press)", British Journal of Ethnomusicology, 8:125-8.
    • 1999. Sleeve notes for "Through eternity, Persian devotional music", with Shahram Nazeri and the Dastan Ensemble. Sounds True (USA). STA M112D. ISBN: 1-56455-717-0.
    • 1990. Review of "The dastgah concept in Persian music by Hormoz Farhat (1990, Cambridge University Press)", The Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, vol. LV, Part 2, 338-340.
    • 1989. "The nature of the radif and its re-creation in the performance of Persian classical music", The Bulletin of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM UK). Autumn 1989, 24: 18-37.

    Conference Papers, Research Seminars, Public Lectures, Broadcasts

    • 2003. Subversion and counter-subversion: power, control and meaning in the new Iranian pop music, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society
      for Ethnomusicology, Miami, October 2-5th 2003.
    • 2003. Music, Islam and nationhood: competing discourses of identity in Iran, paper presented at the Third Biennial International Conference on Twentieth Century Music, University of Nottingham, June 2003.
    • 2003. "Like a thoroughbred": authority, authenticity and representations of the past in Iranian Music, paper presented at the 29th Annual Conference of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology, University of Bangor, May 2003.
    • 2002. The new Iranian pop: music, empowerment and discourses of national identity, Music Department Ethnomusicology Research Seminar, Goldsmiths' College (University of London), 28.11.02.
    • 2002. Circumnavigation with a difference? Music, globalisation and the Disney experience: it's a small, small world, paper presented at the 28th Annual Conference of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology, University of Edinburgh, April 2002.
    • 2001. Improvisation as "other": creativity, knowledge and power. The case of Iranian classical music, Performing Arts Department Research Seminar, Brunel University, 14.11.01
    • 2001. The new Iranian pop: music, empowerment and discourses of national identity, Music Department Research Seminar presented at the University of Surrey, 20.3.01.
    • 1999. From prayers at dawn to techno in the park: Iran's changing soundscapes, paper presented at the 15th Annual Meeting of the European Seminar in Ethnomusicology, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 12th-15th November 1999.
    • 1999. Meaningful sounds: Iranian music and the negotiation of identity, paper presented at the Triennial British Musicological Societies' Conference, University of Surrey, July 1999.
    • 1998. Meaningful sounds: hearts, minds and the negotiation of Iranian identity, paper presented at the 24th Annual Conference of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology, University of Cambridge, March 1998.
    • 1995. In search of the nightingale: myth and metaphor in Persian classical music, paper presented at the 11th European Seminar in Ethnomusicology, De Doelen Centre, Rotterdam, Holland, September 1995.
    • 1995. From the "natives'" points of views? The unbearable lightness of analysis, paper presented at the 21st Annual Conference of the ICTM (UK), University of Durham, April 1995.
    • 1995. The transparent analyst: objectivity in musicology, paper presented at the Postgraduate Research Day, Goldsmiths' College, University of London, March 1995.
    • 1994. Instrument logic, body logic: the aesthetics of motivic structure in dastgah segah, paper presented at the 10th European Seminar in Ethnomusicology, Music Faculty, University of Oxford, August-September 1994.
    • 1993. Persian classical music, the 1993 Friends of Horniman public lecture presented at the Horniman Museum, London, February 1993.
    • 1992. "Ta seh nasheh, bazi nasheh" ("third time lucky"): cross-cultural considerations of musical structure, paper presented at the 18th Annual Conference of the ICTM (UK), Charlotte Mason College, Ambleside, April 1992.
    • 1990. Creative procedures in Persian classical music, paper presented at the 16th Annual Conference of the ICTM (UK), School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, March 1990.
    • 1990. Roses and nightingales, programme on Iranian classical music broadcast by BBC Radio 3 in its series of traditional music programmes, September 1990.
    • 1989. The song of the nightingale: creation and re-creation in Persian classical music, Research Seminar presented at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, November 1989.
    • 1989. Searching for musical truth: the nature of the radif in Persian classical music, paper presented at the Postgraduate Research Day, Goldsmiths' College, University of London, May 1989.
    • 1989. The nature of the radif in Persian classical music, paper presented at the 15th Annual Conference of the ICTM (UK), University of York, April 1989.
    • 1987. Composition or improvisation? the case of Persian classical music, paper presented at Postgraduate Research Day, Goldsmiths' College, University of London, May 1987.
    • 1987. Improvisation in Persian Classical Music, paper presented at the 13th Annual Conference of the ICTM (UK), University of Durham, March 1987

 

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