Ash (they/she)
Biography
Ash (they/she pronouns, fka Amir Shirazi) grew up in Portland, OR and currently resides in New York City. They have a background in both theatre and music, and they are an active composer, choral arranger, sound designer, playwright, music director for choir and theatre, and songwriter. They are queer, non-binary, Persian, hard of hearing, and a quintessential virgo. She values storytelling as a means of connection, revelation, and celebration.
She recently served (2017-2022) as Artistic Director to Transpose PDX, which is a non-profit choral organization serving the transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming community of Portland and is comprised of the Transpose Community Choir and a cappella group Acchord. They are also a committee member of the GALA Choruses New Harmony Task Force where they managed its BIPOC Leadership Project.
Their theatrical credits for music direction and sound design include productions with Portland Center Stage (Dracula: a Feminist Revenge Fantasy Really, Choir Boy, tick, tick… BOOM!, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Macbeth), Artists Repertory Theatre (Sapience), Bag&Baggage (Beginnings & Endings), Between Us Theatre Co. (EGG; Velvet Rage; Texas Gothic), SpeakEasy Stage (English), Lower East Side Shakespeare Co. (The Words Will Come, BEE), Fuse Theatre Ensemble (Crumbs; Magnetic Electric), Milagro Theatre (Drammy Award in 2015 for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music for ¡O Romeo!), and Portland Actors Ensemble (Outdoor Shakespeare Festival Award in 2012 for Best Sound Design for Twelfth Night).
As a writer, they are currently developing Crumbs (musical), This Side of the Door (musical), Move-Bend-Fall (short play trilogy), Magnetic Electric (play by Mikki Gillette with music by Ash), The Dark Stuff (play by Mikki Gillette with music by Ash) and other projects.
Professional Experience
- Regional
- Education
Regions
- NYC/Tri-State Area
- Seattle/Pacific NW
Interested in touring?
- No
Hireable as
- Theatrical Composer (Music and Lyrics)
- Theatrical Composer (Music only)
- Vocal Director and/or Choral Prep
- Music Assistant
- Songwriter
- Vocal Arranger
- Music Contractor/Coordinator
- Sound Designer/Composer
- Other
My Instruments
- Piano
- Voice
Software
- Finale
- GarageBand
- Logic
- Sibelius
- QLab
- Other
Affiliations
- ASCAP
- THE DRAMATISTS GUILD
- MAESTRA
Pronouns
- They/Them