About
Composer. Arranger. Songwriter.
Ash (they/she pronouns, fka Amir Shirazi) grew up in Portland, OR, and they currently reside in NYC. They have a background in both theatre and music, and they are an active composer, choral arranger, songwriter, playwright, sound designer, and music director for choir and theatre. They are queer, non-binary, Persian, hard of hearing, and a quintessential virgo.
Her theatrical credits for music direction and sound design include productions with Fuse Theatre Ensemble (Crumbs), Portland Center Stage (Dracula: a Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really; Choir Boy; tick, tick… BOOM!; Hedwig and the Angry Inch; Macbeth), Theater for the New City (Texas Gothic), Oregon Fringe Festival (The Lark & the Nightingale) Lower East Side Shakespeare Company (The Words Will Come; BEE), SpeakEasy Stage (English), Oregon Children’s Theatre (Intergenerational Queer Audio Project), Corrib Theatre (Lifeboat), Jewish Theatre Collaborative (Echoes), Milagro Theatre (for which she won a Drammy Award in 2015 for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music for ¡O Romeo!), Post5 Theatre Company (Love's Labour's Lost), and Portland Actors Ensemble (for which she won the Outdoor Shakespeare Festival Award in 2012 for Best Sound Design for Twelfth Night).
They most 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.
Do you want Ash to arrange, compose, or songwrite for you? Learn more here!
Listen up.
Hear Ash talking about their craft, their work with Transpose PDX, and more on different podcast episodes.
History Highlights
December 2023 - The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus presents the world premiere of “Unmistakable Softness” with words by Leo Herrera, music by Ash, and commission by NYCGMC.
June 2023 - A staged reading of Ash’s original musical CRUMBS is featured at Fuse Theatre Ensemble’s OUTwright Theatre Festival in Portland, OR.
May 2023 - Ash’s original song “Take a Breath” premieres in Philadelphia, PA by the Singing City Choir.
December 2022 - Ash is voted a runner-up for a BroadwayWorld award for Best Music Direction & Orchestra Performance for their work on tick, tick… BOOM!
April 2022 - Ash is featured in American Theatre’s 6 Theatre Workers You Should Know Role Call.
December 2021 - Ash is awarded a Make/Learn/Build grant by RACC (Regional Arts and Culture Council) to develop their original musical CRUMBS.
March 2021 - Ash’s original protest song “Rise Up, Stay Loud” premieres virtually on Transgender Day of Visibility with six participating choirs.
November 2020 - Ash becomes Committee Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee for the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus. (Served through 2022)
September 2020 - Ash presents a workshop titled “Beyond the Music: Keeping Singers Engaged” and a panel titled “Chorus Committees - Focusing on Racial Justice Work” at the 2020 GALA Choruses Leadership Symposium.
July 2019 - Ash is officially hired on as the Artistic Director for Transpose PDX. (Served through 2022)
July 2018 - Ash becomes interim Artistic Director for Transpose PDX.
August 2017 - Ash becomes Vocal Coach for Acchord (formerly known as Key of Q), a choir of Transpose PDX, a non-profit choral arts organization for the trans and non-binary community. (Served through 2020)
August 2015 - Ash performs original songs of theirs at What is Left?, a staged-reading premiering London poet Joel Kelley’s work with musical interludes by Marialena DiFabbio and Ash.
June 2015 - Ash wins a Drammy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music for their work in ¡O Romeo! at Milagro Theatre in Portland, Oregon.
December 2014 - The Portland Gay Men’s Chorus premieres “When I See You”, an original Christmas song and arrangement by Ash.
April 2014 - Ash becomes the new Artistic Director of Without Apology, a queer TTBB a cappella group in Portland, OR. (Served through 2016)
December 2013 - The Portland Gay Men’s Chorus premieres “Gloria”, an original composition from Ash’s “Missa Turbae.”
March 2013 - Ash presents the first staged reading of their original musical CRUMBS at Shaking the Tree in Portland, OR.
July 2012 - Ash wins the Outdoor Shakespeare Festival Award for Best Sound Design for Portland Actors Ensemble production of Twelfth Night.
Education
Boston College ‘09
Concentrating in theory and composition, Ash graduated with a B.A. in Music with departmental honors after completing an a cappella mass for their composition thesis. While at Boston College, they performed with the Boston Collegium (early music), the BC Dynamics (a contemporary a cappella group, which they also led as Music Director), and the Boston College University Chorale (under the direction of John Finney). Ash was recognized with an award for "Outstanding Arrangement in the Northeast" at an NCHSA competition.
Jesuit High School ‘05
While at Jesuit High School, Ash was invited to attend a private Choral Leadership Workshop series and sang in Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, and the Men's Ensemble. They also served as Vice President of the Drama Club, performed in numerous plays and musicals, and were selected to direct two shows for the annual Student Directed One-Acts.