Draft:Scharmien Zandi

Scharmien Zandi, (* 1987 in Vienna, Austria) is an Austrian-Kurdish artist, musician and performer. Her works include performance, composition, experimental music theater, installation and directing.

Vita
Zandi was born in Vienna with Kurdish and Austrian roots and grew up in Landskron near Villach in Carinthia. Through her mother, a classical singer, she came into contact with music and art at an early age and enjoyed music and painting lessons at home. After finishing school, she returned to Vienna to study performing arts and music, which she completed in 2012 and 2014. She is a singer and musician in the trip-rock formation CADÛ and president of the international Academy of Arts Vienna (iAKW). Together with Stephanie Meisl and Sarah Scherer, they founded the artist collective D#AVANTGARDE, where they explore new technology, art and creativity.

Work
Zandi has traveled extensively, including to America, China, Kurdistan and Europe, which has shaped her artistic and musical influence to this day. With her music projects and formations, as well as a singer and musician (rage-cage, Paloma Negra, CADÛ, Amour Fou, Misthaufen, DIONE ), she has played concerts in the USA, Colombia, China and Europe.

In 2015, she became intensively involved with Viennese Actionism and performance art and founded Post Wiener Aktionismus in 2018. With "My Name is Art not Innovation", Zandi collaborated with conceptual artist Bill Drummond and created a video at Tabakfabrik Linz for No Music Day 2020.

With the trip-rock band CADÛ, which she co-founded with Clemens Hackmack in 2017, she has opened for Motorpsycho, Mother's Cake and Tito & Tarantula and released two studio albums to date (Stonefree Record).

After the sound installation "Amour Fou", which was inspired by the correspondence between Ingeborg Bachmann and Paul Celan, among others, Zandi expanded this form into an 'Avantgarde Chanson Show', which was awarded the Austrian Music Theater Prize in the Off-Theater Prize category in 2020 and played in the USA in 2022 together with actress Sarah Scherer and visual artist S.Myselle.

She developed her first opera performance with students from Peking University, among others, and presented "Redline" at the Austrian Cultural Forum in Beijing. In 2021, the opera performance "DIONE - eine Opernperformance" premiered at the Theater Arche in Vienna.

As an actress and composer, Zandi performed in "Wir Alle Für Immer Zusammen" at the Landestheater Niederösterreich in 2022, directed by Jana Vetten, and for the short film Armenia by screenwriter and director Jaqueline Rauter. Her song "Sweet Life" was used as the title music. In the same year, Zandi received the Scholarship for music and performing arts.

In her current works, Zandi deals with AI music and compositional processes. She is on tour in Europe with her solo "verWIRrt" and her band CADÛ.

Theater

 * 2013 Die Festung by Mira Lobe winner Martin Mittersteiner, (role: Hammanet) Austrian tour
 * 2015 Schimmern... - vertical by Larisa Vrhunc, (soprano); world premiere Solitär in Salzburg
 * 2016 Niemandsland, Theater Delphin, (composition commission)
 * 2016 Klein by Stina Wirsén (role: Klein); as part of the Lesezeichen Festival in Villach
 * 2016 Massacre. Liebe. by Scharmien Zandi (performance); as part of Sexess at the WUK
 * 2017 Howling Dog by Raimund Rosarius; (theater composition); world premiere at the Longfu Theater in Beijing
 * 2019 Die Physik (theater composition) by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Theater Delphin production; world premiere at Theater Spielraum in Vienna
 * 2022 Wir Alle Für Immer Zusammen by Guus Kuijer, (actress, theater composition); Landestheater Niederösterreich in St. Pölten
 * 2023 Stage insult by Sivan Ben Yishai (performer, live music, theater composition); Schauspielhaus Vienna
 * 2024 Frühere Verhätlnisse by Johann Nestroy (actress); Theater Center Forum Wien

Stage works

 * 2014 Maria Tybee; world premiere at Kulturhof Keller Villach, 2016 at mo.Ë Vienna
 * 2015 La Borrachita premiere at the Musisches Zentrum, Vienna
 * 2017 Redline Beijing
 * 2017 Taikonaut Lilli (sound installation with performance) in the 798 Art District in Beijing
 * 2018 Headline in Vienna
 * 2020 Cocaline in New York
 * 2020 Amour Fou with texts by anonymous authors, performed by Sarah Scherer; Kultursommer Wien, Szene Waldviertel
 * 2021 Dione - All Elements; Opernperformance with installation as an exhibition at Theater Arche Vienna
 * 2023 SuperZero, Baby - Opernperformance on value and worth at the Musiktheater an der Wien
 * 2024 Ankommen - Opernperformance at Tiroler Landestheater

Movies

 * 2013 Das Puppenhaus (screenplay, director)
 * 2018 Horen (director)
 * 2018 Einmal für den großen Hunger Xsellschaften (leading role: Mariam)
 * 2022 Armenia Jaqueline Rauter (supporting role: Alma, film composition)

Discography

 * 2021 Steelstreet CADÛ, Label Stonefree Records
 * 2022 Amour Fou Scharmien Zandi, Label Planet 9
 * 2023 Psychotic Parade CADÛ, Label Stonefree Records

Exhibition

 * 2016 1/4life Crisis – foreign body mo.E in Vienna
 * 2018 Amour Fou Red Gate Gallery 798 Art District in Beijing
 * 2021 All Elements Odyssee Festivals Theater Arche
 * 2024 Love Against The Machine Ministry Of Artist in Vienna

Awards and Honor

 * 2016 Winner of the Art Rose for Music and Singing, Vienna
 * 2017 Artist in Residence for Music and Performing Arts in Beijing
 * 2019 Reeperbahn Festival Delegates New York of the American Association Of Independent Music (A2IM)
 * 2020 Working grant from the City of Vienna for Amour Fou
 * 2020 Awarded the Austrian Music Theater Prize in the Off-Theater Prize category for Amour Fou
 * 2022 Starting grant for music and performing arts from the BMKÖS

Weblinks

 * Website von Scharmien Zandi
 * Amour Fou
 * CADÛ
 * Dione
 * iAKW

Category:Women Category:1987 births Category:Austrian people Category:Film directors Category:Austrian composers