Payam Yousefi is a composer whose work emphasizes melody and harmonic clarity within a neo-tonal framework. Recent compositions include Death and the Stars, a piece for a small group of women’s voices set to Walt Whitman’s A Clear Midnight, performed in 2025 by Lorelei ensemble; Of Resolution for orchestra, which was performed by the Peabody Symphony Orchestra in Spring 2022; and a string quartet in the Iranian mode of Dashti recorded in Spring 2023, with Yousefi performing on the santoor. Yousefi’s earliest training was in Iranian classical music, and he has performed on the santoor at venues such as The Kennedy Center and Strathmore, both as a soloist and ensemble member. While his compositional focus is primarily in Western classical music, elements from the dastgāh modal system of Iranian music have recently found their way into his work, particularly in his approach to melody. Dashti (an orchestral piece that also leans heavily on the Iranian mode) was performed by the PSO in 2025. Yousefi’s music spans a range of instrumental settings, with an emphasis on clear thematic ideas that foreground melody and harmony. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in composition at the Peabody Institute, where he has studied with Michael Hersch and Kevin Puts. Yousefi is an instructor in the music theory department at Peabody, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in ear training. He also teaches musicianship classes at Peabody Preparatory. He holds degrees from Peabody (MM in composition and MM in music theory pedagogy) and a BA in political science and music from The George Washington University.