Alireza Mashayekhi‭ ‬is one of the pioneers of multiculturalism in music‭. ‬He was born in Tehran‭, ‬Iran‭, ‬in 1940‭. ‬Mashayekhi’s works have been performed in Iran and abroad for more than 60‭ ‬years‭. ‬Hanns Jelinek and Karl Schiske were his composition teachers in Vienna‭. ‬His many years of association with Hanns Jelinek encouraged him to explore a wide spectrum of 20th century music‭.‬‭ ‬This and his fondness for Iranian culture were the cornerstones of his artistic development‭. ‬After completing his studies at the Akademie für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna‭, ‬he went to Utrecht‭, ‬the Netherlands‭, ‬to pursue his study of electronic and computer music‭, ‬which included attending lectures by Gottfried Michael König‭.‬ Mashayekhi’s compositions have tended towards three major directions‭: ‬pieces that are directly inspired by Iranian music‭ (‬e.g‭. ‬Symphony No‭.‬‭ ‬5‭), ‬atonal compositions‭ (‬e.g‭. ‬Symphony No‭. ‬4‭) ‬and multicultural compositions‭ (‬e.g‭. ‬Symphony No‭. ‬9‭ “‬My World‭”.‬ Mashayekhi is professor of composition at Tehran University and permanent conductor of Iranian Orchestra for New Music‭.‬