Bijan Khadem-Missagh

• Name — Bijan Khadem-Missagh • Born — 26 October 1948 • Birthplace — Tehran, Iran • Education — University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna • Occupation — violinist, composer and conductor • Years Active — 1971–2019 • Father — Ata Khadem-Missagh • Children — son Vahid

Khadem-Missagh was born into a family of musicians in Tehran and grew up in Vienna from 1958. He studied first with his father Ata Khadem-Missagh (concertmaster of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra) and then at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with professors Ernst Morawec, Edith Steinbauer, Franz Samohyl, Erwin Ratz, Heinrich Gattermeyer and Hans Swarovsky, graduating with distinction.

Khadem-Missagh celebrated an early debut as a violin soloist, which was followed by numerous international concert tours. In 1971, he became first concertmaster of the Niederösterreichisches Tonkünstlerorchester. In the same year he won the Grand Prix at the International Chamber Music Competition in Colmar, France. Also in 1971 he founded the Eurasia Quartet and in 1977 the Tonkünstler Chamber Orchestra, later called Academia Allegro Vivo. In 1979, he founded Allegro Vivo, the international chamber music festival in Horn, where the summer academy also takes place, where young musicians can attend master classes. Allegro Vivo also sees itself as a place of encounter and a fixed component of public life in the region. From 1980 to 1990, the musician was artistic director of the Midsummer Music Festival in Umeå, Sweden. In 1981, he founded the Badener Beethoventage in Baden near Vienna, of which he was artistic director until 1998. In 1997, he founded Globart - Connecting Worlds of Arts and Sciences in Krems, it is a foundation whose annual academy wants to be understood as a "meeting point for impulse generators and thought leaders from all over the world" Khadem-Missagh is listed as honorary president. From 1991 to 2000, he was artistic director of the Musik Forum Landegg in Switzerland. Khadem-Missagh directed Allegro Vivo until 2016, before his son Vahid took over.

In 1975, he married Shirin, née Nooreyezdan, who taught ethics and character education for children in Baden since 1980. She died in 2016. The marriage produced three children, who are also professional musicians: Son Vahid is a violinist, daughter Martha a violinist and Dorothy is a pianist.

Composers from various countries, including Karl Heinz Füssl, Lasse Thoresen, Alexander Vujic, Kurt Rapf, Karl Etti, Andreas Baksa, Alexander Rahbari, Heinrich Gattermeyer, Ulf-Diether Soyka, Robert Stiegler, Leo Schmetterer, Franz Thürauer and Herbert Zagler, dedicated works to Khadem-Missagh.

• 1977 Alexander (Ali) Rahbari • 1988 Kurt Rapf, Andreas Baksa • 1992 Karl Heinz Füssl • 1993 Weijie Gao • 1994 Gottfried von Einem • 1996 Robert Stiegler, Peter Hrncirik, Michael Neunteufel, Ulf-Dieter Soyka • 1997 Andreas Etlinger, Michael Salomon, Leopold Schmetterer, Silvia Sommer, Gwendolyn Watson • 1998 Heinrich Gattermeyer, Ladislav Lesko / Oto Vrhovnik • 1999 Kurt Rapf, Reza Najfar • 2000 Peter Hrncirik, Michael Salomon • 2001 Wolfgang Mayer, Leopold Schmetterer • 2002 Werner Schulze • 2003 Ulrich Küchl, Robert Stiegler, Tolib Shakhidi • 2005 Emanuel Schulz, Peter Hrncirik • 2006 Markus Pfandler, Kornel Thomas • 2007 Astrid Spitznagel, Silvia Sommer, Perikles Liakakis, Helmut Scherner • 2014 Flora Marlene Geißelbrecht