Gold EXPO special: Farhaan 'Faz' Shah

Faz's was the first Gold Arts Award completed in the North West through Peshkar Productions. He has since done a degree in Music, joined Peshkar's Board of Trustees, founded a company and you'll see him at the Gold Expo.

Gold EXPO special: Farhaan 'Faz' Shah

What are you up to in your work at the moment, and what are you looking forward to?

I am writing songs for solo violin in Arabic pop and fusion genres integrating Turkish saz and bagliama sounds into the melodies. I am releasing my first and second tracks this Summer 'Shisha Pro' and 'Summer Ice'. I run a company to provide workshops and sessions for young people in schools - unlocking creative potential in young people and designing projects that integrate them into their academic, social and community environments. This is a passion of mine; by using inspiration and motivation in young people, we are able to connect otherwise disengaged individuals with their aspirations and goals.

My future plans are to continue releasing songs and form my own musical identity and to also delve into the world of music for gaming, my experience in creating the soundtrack for my Gold Arts Award piece will undoubtedly aid this ambition.

Can you tell us a bit about the process you've been through from getting your Gold to where you are today?

I decided to keep pushing for my degree in classical music as all my musical ventures in different genres spawned from the core of my abilities, which was my training in classical music. I went to Leeds College of Music and achieved a First Class degree in Classical Music. I then turned my attention to my ability to communicate with audiences through music so I started teaching privately to understand and develop my understanding in my own craft by conveying it and teaching it to others.

I set up Vivo Creative to enhance this in other areas and into more mainstream institutes also focusing on my ability to design projects for young people and the benefits arts practice has on young minds. My ambition for my own music is to establish my own identity within the music industry and bring the Eastern sounds, as far East as China, through to Western practice. I wish to use the violin in my own way to communicate with an audience, this includes beatboxing with the violin and YouTubing this to an international audience.

The gaming industry has taken my interest very recently because the most successful games are those which recreate a world using graphics, sound and music all aiding the ultimate outcome which is to create your own world, atmospheres and settings. Sound is one of the most important components for making a successful game and the amount of creativity required is unlimited.

How were things different, if at all, to how you expected them to be when you were doing your Gold?

The creative industries have changed a lot since I did my Gold Arts Award however the techniques and desires have remained unchanged. I wanted to create a world through theatre design, script writing, music and drama. The creative process was amazing and attention to detail was difficult in order to create the feeling of Northern Dust and the gang life associated with it.

My ambition for music and sound design in the gaming industry continues the ambition to purely create on a larger scale. Vivo Creative is a fantastic opportunity for me to deliver opportunities to young people like the opportunities I had myself during my turbulent academic school life.

What can we expect from you at the Gold Expo?

I will perform my latest songs, 'Shisha Pro' and 'Summer Ice', I will give an interview and I will chat in more detail about what I am doing in my work. I would like to meet the other Gold Arts Award achievers and see where their journey has led them, it will be an opportunity to see young people hoping to access different industries all on one platform.

How did doing Gold benefit you?

The Gold Arts Award broadened my perspective on what I could achieve through the creative arts. It gave me the courage to access areas I have no experience in and learn from those around me. It gave me the experience I needed to make music in different contexts and to think of sound and music simultaneously.


artsawardvoice.com/gold-expo

Author

Bhavesh Jadva

Bhavesh Jadva Voice Team

Former Media Editor on Voice and former Arts Award Editor on AAoV covering film, TV, music and comedy.

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