Mahan Esfahani - About

It is often easy to forget that the harpsichord as a solo instrument is still very much on the defensive, and every time I am reminded of that fact I am grateful that BBT made my vision for ‘something different’ a reality. BBT is more than just a grant; more importantly, the group of people that make up the trust provides an important support system to a young artist trying to reconcile the inherent truths of music with a sometimes ambivalent world. I wouldn’t have been able to do what I do without the confidence provided by someone saying: ‘you have something to say, and you can do it.’ It’s an amazing feeling!

No one has done more to popularise the harpsichord as a concert instrument in the present day than Iranian-American virtuoso Mahan Esfahani. Consummate skill and a bold imagination power Mahan’s mission to take the harpsichord far from its ivory tower out into the world, where he captivates – and suprises – audiences and critics alike with his exuberance and fresh approach to repertoire both old and new. While profoundly committed to Bach, he also “makes waves by playing contemporary works that are noisy and far from polite” (Daily Telegraph).

BBT invested in the development of Mahan’s professional career at a very early stage by providing necessities such as publicity photographs, creating a website, making a profile film and arranging a London showcase concert.

Mahan was supported with a BBT Fellowship between 2009 and 2011.

For a current biography please visit mahanesfahani.com or rayfieldallied.com

Photographs by Marco Borggreve