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“Hooshyar Khayam says it was pure chance that when he left Tehran, the capital of Iran, in early 2020, he relocated to Ottawa. Now he’s looking to stay.

Khayam, a 45-year-old internationally acclaimed composer, pianist and conductor, said a relative by marriage lived here. He says because of that connection, he, his wife and two sons came to live in an apartment in Orléans.

But Khayam also moved to Canada because “the idea that Canada is this very large melting pot of ideas and cultures” appealed to him.

“I wasn’t expecting much (professionally) to happen,” says Khayam, who has taught at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University and been its artist in residence. He’s now seeking more permanent work — as well as his permanent residency status.”

— Peter Hum, credit to Ottawa Citizen