Centering the Joy in Activism

Sahba Aminikia is an independent composer and educator who uses music as a tool for change. He draws inspiration from Iranian poetry and traditional, classical, and jazz music, and has composed pieces that express the inevitability and triumph of hope. Aminikia has studied under prominent Iranian and Russian pianists and has a Master of Music with honors from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has collaborated with artists worldwide, and his works have been performed at venues such as Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Le Poisson Rouge. He is also the Artistic Director of Flying Carpet Festival, which serves children in war zones, and the Musical Director for Sirkhane, a non-profit organization in Turkey that uses music and circus arts to benefit over 400,000 children.