Manouchehr Sahbai Information

Manouchehr Sahbai (born 1948 in Tehran) is a renowned orchestra conductor, musicologist, oboe player, and distinguished music professor, known for his significant contributions to classical and symphonic music both in Iran and Europe. He served as the permanent conductor of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra from December 2007 to spring 2009 and again from September 2023 to December 2024.

Life and Education

Manouchehr Sahbai was born in 1948 in Tehran. He began his musical education at the Tehran Conservatory (High School of Music), studying under notable instructors such as Anton Kadlets (oboe), Hossein Nasl Tehran (composition), and Shafigh Sadighi (piano). After completing his secondary education, he performed as an oboe soloist with the Tehran Symphony Orchestra and later taught at the Tehran Conservatory, the University of Tehran’s Faculty of Fine Arts, and the National Iranian Radio and Television Music School. In 1975, he moved to Europe to further his studies in conducting and musicology, training under masters like Heinz Holliger (Germany), Pierre Pierlot (France), Milan Horvath (Austria), Franco Ferrara (Italy), and Sergiu Celibidache (Germany).

Professional Career

Sahbai won the first prize at the Virtuosity Competition in France in 1976. From 1975 to 1979, he taught at the Music School in Offenburg, Germany. In 1979, he secured the first position among 165 candidates in an oboe audition for the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra in Switzerland, serving as its conductor and soloist for twelve years. That same year, he was invited to teach at the Feldkirch Conservatory in Austria, where he was awarded a professorship, and the orchestra under his leadership won first prizes in European competitions. He also conducted the Chamber Orchestra of Amriswil, Switzerland, for fourteen years. In 1987, he won the gold medal at the Conducting Competition in Belgium, awarded by the Ministry of Culture. Between 1989 and 1990, he was invited to perform and teach master classes in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, receiving the highest artistic honor from the University of Taipei.

Academic Achievements

In Switzerland, Sahbai studied translation at the St. Gallen Higher School of Translation for four years, mastering German, French, Italian, and English. In 1995, he submitted a dissertation titled “Research on the Score Designs of The Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky. In 1996, he presented another dissertation, “Oscillations in the Score Notation of The Rite of Spring,” to the University of Strasbourg. In 1999, his dissertation “Iranian Polyphonic Music 1868–1998” earned him a PhD in Human Sciences with a specialization in the history, foundations, and practice of the arts from the University of Strasbourg, with high honors and congratulations from the jury.

Leadership of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra and Concerts

Sahbai was the permanent conductor and artistic director of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra from December 2007 to spring 2009. In 2009, amid widespread protests following Iran’s presidential election, he led the orchestra in a series of concerts organized by Iranian embassies in European cities like Rome, Brussels, and Rotterdam (the latter incomplete) featuring classical works alongside a symphony by Majid Entezami commemorating the 1979 Iranian Revolution. These performances faced opposition from the Green Movement. He resumed his role as conductor from September 2023 to December 2024.

Controversies

On January 23, 2020, prior to a concert originally led by Shahrdad Rouhani, who was ill, Sahbai stepped in as a guest conductor. He claimed that Rouhani had fled Iran without coordinating with the Rudaki Foundation, sparking protests from audience members. In response, Sahbai remarked, “A minstrel should go where he can perform his minstrelsy.” This led to backlash from some orchestra members, who performed two pieces without a conductor, marking one of the most controversial concerts at Vahdat Hall.

Research and Revival of Iranian Music

Since 1993, Sahbai has researched the history of Iranian symphonic music and the works of Iranian composers. He has restored pieces by Ali-Reza Mashayekhi, Hossein Dehlavi, Samin Baghcheban, Hossein Nasl, Mohammad Taghi Massoudieh, Mostafa Kamal Pourtorab, Heshmat Sanjari, Morteza Hannaneh, and Hossein Youssefzadeh, some of which had been forgotten or nearly lost. These works, performed alongside global masterpieces in Europe, have been published by Mahoor Institute in Tehran and Aryans EMS in Europe, with more releases planned.