MoVE (Modern Violin Ensemble)
Single: As Snow Falls, I search for your eyes amongst All the strangers of this city - by Aftab Darvishi
MoVE Premieres
Have you ever seen a familiar face in a crowd, rushed toward it, only to realize you were mistaken? As Snow Falls captures that fleeting moment — the spark of recognition, the hope, the longing, and the quiet shift of emotions that follows.
SINGLE:
“As Snow Falls, I search for your eyes amongst All the strangers of this city” by Aftab Darvishi
About Aftab Darvishi (b.1987)
Aftab Darvishi is a composer whose work spans concert music, film, and interdisciplinary collaborations, often drawing on diverse cultural and musical traditions. Born in Tehran and based in Europe, her music reflects a deeply personal voice shaped by cross-cultural influences and a sensitivity to timbre and texture.
Her work has been performed internationally by ensembles including Kronos Quartet, BBC Singers, and Cappella Amsterdam, and has been featured in major festivals across Europe. She is the recipient of the Tenso Young Composers Award and has participated in numerous international residencies.
Darvishi’s music is noted for its emotional resonance and its ability to move fluidly between traditions, creating sound worlds that are both intimate and expansive. Her debut album A Thousand Butterflies is available on 30 M Records.
To learn more about Aftab, visit aftabdarvishi.com
“When composing, I thought of Carolyn, Livia, Janet, and Lina. Their characters and their sounds, their individuality, and the cohesion they create when playing together. They gave life to the piece in ways that extended beyond what I had imagined.”
- Aftab Darvishi
LISTEN to the Single: As Snow Falls, I search for your eyes amongst All the strangers of this city by Aftab Darvishi (video)(audio)
WATCH: Justine Leichtling’s The Violin Maker of Cremona on YouTube
DOWNLOAD: the DIGITAL ALBUM, starting June 12, 2026
PRE-ORDER CD: Double CD pre-order available here
BUY: June 12, 2026: MoVE Premieres CD release
MoVE is thrilled to release their debut album, MoVE Premieres, with Phenotypic Records in 2026. This double album features twelve world-premiere commissions recorded in the San Francisco area at Schumann Music Studio and Skywalker Sound, as well as Zinober Concert Hall at University of South Florida and Stanford University’s CCRMA.
Justine Leichtling's "The Violin Maker of Cremona"
performed by MoVE (Modern Violin Ensemble)
The Violin Maker of Cremona tells the story of Filippo, the most talented apprentice of local instrument maker Taddeo Ferrari. Filippo is hopelessly in love with Ferrari’s daughter, Giannina, yet she only has eyes for Sandro, another apprentice who returns her affection. When Ferrari announces a contest whose prize is his daughter’s hand in marriage, the story takes some twists and turns, ultimately leaving Filippo with the question: what would you do for love?
About Composer Justine Leichtling:
Brooklyn-based composer and violinist Justine Leichtling creates music that lives at the intersection of emotion, memory, and perception. Informed by her work as a psychologist, her compositions explore the liminal space between inner and outer worlds—where feeling precedes language, and sound gives shape to what is otherwise unseen. Her recent work, Stand Clear of the Doors, a multimedia piece for piano trio, traces a passage from confinement toward release, both physical and emotional.
SHOP
MoVE (Modern Violin Ensemble) ~ MoVE Premieres
DIGITAL ALBUM
MoVE (Modern Violin Ensemble) ~ MoVE Premieres
Double CD
CD pre-order available now
MUSIC WITH A MISSION
at Phenotypic Recordings
Proceeds from sales of this recording project will be donated to the Sarah Gibson Foundation to support Sarah’s legacy of developing the next generation of musical voices.
For information about the foundation, visit sarahgibsonfoundation.org
