Amin Amel Ebrahimi (1997) is an Iranian-Dutch conductor and composer based in the Netherlands, whose work bridges Persian musical traditions and Western classical practice. As a composer he is recognized for his refined use of microtonality and quartertones to create sound worlds that feel both ancient and strikingly modern; as a conductor he is praised for authentic and passionate interpretations of the post-Soviet and Eastern European repertoire.

He studied conducting and composition at the conservatories of Rotterdam (Codarts) and Tilburg (Fontys), where his mentors included Antony Hermus, Anthony Fiumara, Louis Buskens, Aart Strootman, Hawar Tawfiq, Sander Teepen, and Hans Leenders. He has further developed his craft in masterclasses with Johannes Schlaefli, Jac van Steen, John Adams, and Moritz Eggert. In 2023 he was awarded the prestigious MusicHub Fellowship to further his career as a conductor, composer, and artistic director.

He has worked as assistant conductor to Antony Hermus with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, and the Polish National Radio Orchestra (NOSPR), and has collaborated with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Cappella Amsterdam, Philzuid, the Holland Festival, November Music, and Gaudeamus. Amin regularly returns to Cappella Amsterdam as guest music director. He has led the choir and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra in the production of Cantigas (2023, 2026), and taken part in the production of Aleppo, winner of the 2024 De Ovatie award.

Amin is the founder and artistic director of the Brabant Chamber Orchestra, a professional project-based ensemble dedicated to redefining the classical concert experience through unique programming, interdisciplinary productions, and social and cultural themes. The orchestra tours through the Netherlands with two to five own productions per year and appears at festivals such as November Music. His programming is profoundly shaped by his Eastern background: deeply connected to the post-Soviet and Eastern European repertoire, he brings lesser-known works inspired by the East together with more familiar pieces seen through fresh eyes, creating rich and distinctive concert programmes.

Highlights of Amin’s current and coming season include his Danish conducting debut with the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, his debut with Orkest De Ereprijs with three productions, an eight-date tour with Cappella Amsterdam, Mahler 4 at the Chassé Theater, a production of Carmina Burana, and his Haunted Mansion concert tour with the Brabant Chamber Orchestra. He will also appear as assistant conductor at the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg, Rotterdam Sinfonia, and the Codarts Symphony Orchestra.

As a composer, rather than juxtaposing “East” and “West,” his work allows both traditions to coexist organically within a single musical language — modal thinking, ornamentation, and microtonal inflection are woven into contemporary compositional technique as structural elements, not surface reference. Quartertones function as expressive tools rather than experimental effects, and his writing adapts to the specific ensemble, performers, and acoustic space. His sensitivity to text, language, and vocal colour makes his work particularly attractive to professional choirs and vocal ensembles, with microtonal inflection used to enhance textual meaning rather than obscure it.

Despite a relatively short time based in the Netherlands, Ebrahimi has received major commissions from Gaudeamus Muziekweek, November Music, Nederlands Kamerorkest, Philzuid, Brabant Koor, Cappella Amsterdam, and De Link. Notable works include He woke up in the snake’s dream for Brabant Koor and Haft Shahr, commissioned by Gaudeamus — projects spanning choir to orchestra while maintaining a clear, recognisable compositional voice.

Amin’s musical path began with his love for flamenco and Persian music as a teenager learning the guitar and oud. He initially studied architecture at IAU before committing himself fully to music and moving to the Netherlands. His architectural background and Persian roots continue to shape how he thinks about structure, space, and concert dramaturgy — a connection he has also taught, as guest professor at the Architecture Academy in Tilburg, where he worked with master’s students on the relationship between music and architecture. His driving force is to understand complex ideas and make them accessible: does the detail support the whole, and will the form speak to the audience? As a curator, he incorporates dramaturgy, lighting, visual arts, and storytelling — crafting each concert as a fully realised experience that builds a bridge between performers and audience, and between different cultures.