Muse-IC is a project, based in Paris, France, run by biophysics researcher and pianist Judith Minte-Hattab that commissions composers to write works inspired by cutting-edge scientific research. For the first Muse-IC concert, Amir was commissioned to compose a work, "When DNA Makes Loops" (see Works) inspired by the scientific research of MIT professor Leonid Mirny. This composition, along with five other works by international composers, was premiered at the Salle Cortot in Paris in March of 2019. Following this highly successful event, Muse-IC organized a second concert, in collaboration with the Multiverse Concert Series (see below) at the Boston Museum of Science in May of 2022 entitled Music of the Genome, which featured a second performance of "When DNA Makes Loops" as well as a premier of Amir's piece "The Dance of the Nascent Chain". Muse-IC continues to actively commission projects and is planning its next concert in 2023.
The Muse-IC project, including Amir's work, was featured on a 2019 article in Nature. Read about it here.
A documentary about the making of the Muse-IC project, including interviews with Amir and Professor Leonid Mirny, can be found here:
The full video of the first 2019 Muse-IC performance in Paris, including Amir's piece "When DNA Makes Loops" can be seen below:
Multiverse Concert Series
Multiverse Concert Series is a team of scientific researchers, artists and musicians that aims to nurture scientific curiosity and interest in a wide range of audiences. This 501C3, nonprofit founded by Boston-based composer David Ibbett, regularly produces enthralling multimedia performances featuring performances of new, science-inspired musical compositions interspersed with engaging, accessible lectures and visuals. Amir serves as a producer for Multiverse and helped organize the May 2022 Music of the Genome performance, featuring two of his works, in collaboration with the Muse-IC project (see previous section) and the Boston Museum of Science. More recently, Amir's piece "Polymer Entanglements" for solo cello and electronics was performed as part of Multiverse's Art of Polymers concert series. Besides these events, Multiverse has produced a host of shows including Cellular Dance (featuring ballet dancers), a Climate Hope Concert, and the Black Hole Symphony which is touring in science museums across the nation.
The full Music of the Genome concert at the Boston Museum of Science can be seen below
Solo(s) Together
Solo(s) Together was a project run by the Celebrity Series of Boston that aimed to commission composers to write short works for solo instruments, including pieces that could be performed individually as well as together in ensemble. The project was especially aimed at featuring diverse composers and musicians from underrepresented backgrounds. Amir was invited to compose a work, Morphogens, which includes four short movements for individual instruments from a string quartet, as well as one movement featuring the entire ensemble, inspired by different aspects of organismal development. The work was premiered in Boston in April, 2022 by members of the Unitas Ensemble, and received a second performance in Cambridge MA in November, 2022 as part of a concert that featured performances of all the works commissioned for this initiative.
A short informatory video about the Solo(s) together project can be found here:
A live-streamed virtual "roundtable" event with the composers commissioned for Solo(s) Together project can be viewed here:
The Longwood Chorus
In addition to his composition work, Amir avidly sang as a bass with the Longwood Chorus during his time in Boston. This choir, composed of healthcare workers, medical students and professionals and biomedical researchers, was founded with the aim of generating community and reducing burnout within the medical community. The Longwood Chorus is a non-for-profit organization and regularly donates a fraction of their concert proceeds to Boston-area medical and healthcare nonprofits and charities. I highly recommend supporting the choir's work by donating directly to them and/or to the organizations they collaborate with!
A video of the Longwood Chorus's spring 2022 concert can be found here: