Ashkan Layegh is an Iranian composer/improviser/multi-instrumentalist and visual artist concerned with self-reflexive structures. His music has been performed by the London Sinfonietta, the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, London Mozart Players, Riot Ensemble, Septura Brass, Chroma Ensemble and Temporal Harmonies Inc, at venues such as Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre, Kings Place, Muziekgebouw and Bergson. Ashkan is the recipient of London Mozart Players’ 2026 Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Prize. His work has also been performed by his own ensembles—most notably Phemo Quartet—which won second prize at the European Young Artists’ Award at 2026 Burghausen Jazz Festival, Germany.
Ashkan trained as a traditional Persian setar player and improviser from an early age. He has also appeared on stage as an electric guitarist, alto saxophonist and drummer with his own ensembles. In addition, he studied architecture for two years, which broadened his interest in a wide range of arts, including cinema, painting, and sculpture.
He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in composition at the Royal Academy of Music, where he previously earned a Master’s degree in composition (DipRAM) and a Bachelor’s degree in piano (First Class Honours), becoming the first Iranian to do so since the Iranian Revolution.
Formed and led by Ashkan Layegh, Phemo Quartet is an avant-garde jazz ensemble that aims to broaden the spectrum of live-action interplay through a highly-detailed score.
The band includes:
Phemo Quartet won the second prize at the 16th European Young Artists’ Jazz Award at the 2026 Burghausen Jazz Festival. They performed alongside the London Sinfonietta for the premiere of “Ephemerality and Recurrence”— Layegh’s multi-media piece for String Quartet, Phemo Quartet and Screen Quartet, commissioned by London Sinfonietta— as part of the 2025 EFG Jazz Festival at Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Their debut album “Anti-Revelation”— an hour-long 5-movement cycle— was launched at the Vortex Jazz Club in September 2026, followed by the premiere of Layegh’s new quintet piece “Med-Improv Sphere” where they were joined by the ACT recording artist, Johanna Summer. They also shared the stage at the Kings Place with ECM recording artist, Nik Bärtsch.
For commissions, collaborations, and bookings:
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