Robert Browning Associates Presents Sahba Motallebi 10/21

Sahba Motallebi, born in Iran, is recognized internationally as a virtuoso of the tar and setar, lute-like stringed instruments central to one of the world's great musical traditions. In this concert, she performs a repertoire of traditional Persian music and original pieces accompanied by Naghmeh Farahmand on tonbak (goblet drum) and daf (frame drum).

Classical Persian music has been described as "an improvisatory tradition that builds from meditative melodies to dazzling virtuosity" in the New York Times. Improvisation is an essential part of any performance and the musicians draw on their experience and mastery of technique to convey emotions while adding their personal interpretations. The performance is shaped by the musicians' knowledge and the sensitivity and mood of the audience. Ms. Motallebi will perform on the tar, which is known in Iran as the "king of instruments," and the setar, which originated in pre-Islamic Persia; they are ancestors of the European lute and guitar.

Sahba Motallebi began her studies in setar and tar as a teenager with Fariborz Azizi in Sari, a small city in the north of Iran. Later she graduated from the Tehran Conservatory of Music, and was named Best Tar Player at the Iranian Music Festival for four years running (1995-98). She went on to help found the groundbreaking Women's Ensemble Chakaveh, and, in 1999, was invited to join the Iranian National Orchestra, thus beginning her career as an international performer. Her greatest honor has been performing and recording with Hossein Alizadeh and the Hamavayan Ensemble. Performing with artists from all over the Persian diaspora, she has masterfully woven classical Persian styling, folk and world fusion. She has been an ambassador of Persian music in the US and abroad, and captivated audiences in renowned venues and festivals, including the Hollywood Bowl, the Smithsonian Institution, and the World Festival of Sacred Music (Los Angeles). She has been acclaimed for her performances as a soloist and in collaboration with such prominent artists as Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Hossein Alizadeh, Arshad Tahmasebi, Kayhan Kalhor, and Yo-Yo Ma. Author of two educational etudes for tar and setar, she has served as music instructor at Pasadena State College (CA), Lawrence University (WI), and Berklee College of Music (MA). For the past decade, she has lived in southern California, continuing to perform worldwide.

Naghmeh Farahmand, daughter of one of Iran's leading percussionists, Mahmoud Farahmand, grew up surrounded by music in a full house of drums. She started playing the tonbak when she was six under the supervision of her father, and was encouraged to learn a melodic instrument to gain insight into the melodic aspect of music as this would make her a better accompanist. So she started playing the santur under the guidance of Faramarz Payvar and Pashang Kamkar. Besides learning traditional music, Naghmeh found the daf to be very powerful and spiritual and began learning Sufi and Kurdish rhythms from Bijan Kamkar and Masoud Habibi. She has performed in many well-known traditional ensembles in Iran and at festivals around the world, and was honored to perform with ney master Hassan Nahid and famed vocalist Hengameh Akhavan. In 2010, she moved to Canada and started working with musicians in world music and jazz. She is the founder of the Sharghi percussion ensemble.

Made possible in part with public funding provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State legislature.

Friday, October 21, 2016 at 8:30pm

Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton Symphony Space,

2537 Broadway at 95th Street, NYC

Tickets: $28; seniors, students $24; day of show $32

Info & tickets: http://robertbrowningassociates.com or by calling 212-864-5400

To post a comment, you must register and login.