Sussan Deyhim
Sussan Deyhim is a composer, vocalist, sonic conceptualist, and performance artist who has been at the forefront of progressive vocal music internationally for over three decades. Incorporating the ancient mysticism of Middle Eastern music with the wizardry of modern technology, Deyhim creates a chillingly beautiful and deeply moving fusion of East and West, characterized by her highly personal, poetic, and ritualistic sonic signature.
She moved to New York City in 1980, embarking on a multifaceted career encompassing music, theatre, dance, media, film, and wide-ranging collaborations with leading artists from across the spectrum of contemporary art, including Philip Glass, Peter Gabriel, Ornette Coleman, Bobby McFerrin, U2, Eve Ensler, Joe Jackson, Rufus Wainwright, Sophie Calle, and her longtime collaborator, composer Richard Horowitz, among others.
Her collaboration with Shirin Neshat as composer and sound designer on Neshat’s numerous video installations has gained them much international praise. Including a Golden Lion, Venice Biennial international prize for “Turbulent”.
Her music has been released through Sony Classical and Crammed Discs, and she has independently released ten eclectic albums under her own label, Venus Rising Records. A beautifully packaged double album of her soundtracks for filmmaker Shirin Neshat’s Rapture was exclusively released for The Broad Museum, in conjunction with Neshat’s acclaimed 2019 retrospective at the museum."
Her latest release is an album of archival music (1985-1990) composed in collaboration with her lifelong partner, composer Richard Horowitz. The album is set to be released on November 8 through RVNG INTL
The House is Black, Sussan Deyhim’s multimedia stage production inspired by the works of Iranian literary heroine, poet, and filmmaker Forough Farrokhzad, was co-composed with Richard Horowitz and directed by Deyhim in collaboration with renowned American director Robert Egan. The production has been presented at prestigious venues including Royce Hall by CAP UCLA, The Wallis, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Sussan’s vocals have been featured on numerous soundtracks, including the Oscar-nominated film Argo (score by Alexandre Desplat), The Last Temptation of Christ (score by Peter Gabriel), The Stoning of Soraya M. (score by John Debney), Three Kings (score by Carter Burwell), The Kite Runner (score by Alberto Iglesias), Any Given Sunday (partial score by Richard Horowitz), and the Showtime series Sleeper Cell (score by Paul Haslinger
Her most acclaimed recent projects include "Once Within A Time," a masterful film by the visionary director Godfrey Reggio, casting Sussan as his Mother Muse, with music by Philip Glass and Sussan Deyhim. Co-Directed by Godfrey Reggio and Jon Kane, produced by Mara Campione and brilliant costume by Machine Dazzle. OWAT is executive produced by Steven Soderbergh, Alexander Rodnyansky, and others.
In 2023, Sussan also composed the full score for the acclaimed HBO documentary "A Revolution on Canvas," produced and directed by Sara Nodjoumi and Til Schauder.
Sussan is currently presenting Whispers From The Underworld, a 75-minute solo concert featuring her original compositions, which draw from her diverse explorations in film, visual arts, multimedia, and opera. She aims to showcase the full version of the concert, including the visual components—film and video—that she composed specifically for this project.
Her wearable art project, MAZE, is now available on her website : https://sussandeyhim.com/collections/maze
