Rahbari, Alexander (actually, Ali)

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Rahbari, Alexander (actually, Ali)

Rahbari, Alexander (actually, Ali ), Iranian-born Austrian conductor; b. Varamin, May 26, 1948. After studying violin at the Tehran Cons., he went to Vienna to study conducting and composition at the Academy of Music, his principal mentors being Swarowsky, Österreicher, and Einem. He was active as a violinist and conductor in Tehran, where he later was chief conductor of the Opera. In 1977 he went to Austria, becoming a naturalized Austrian citizen. After winning the Besançon conducting competition and a medal at the Geneva competition in 1978, he was invited to appear as a guest conductor with the Berlin Phil, in 1979; thereafter appeared as a guest conductor throughout Europe. In 1989 he became chief conductor of the Belgian Radio and TV Phil, in Brussels.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire