Town Hall Seattle and SAMA: Music+Art present
A Wild Ride on the Kamancheh
Note: This event will be in-person only.
This event is sold out. For information on our standby procedures, click here.
Take a wild sonic ride on the sounds of the spike fiddle with Iranian musician Kayhan Kalhor.
Kalhor is known for his exceptional skills in playing the kamancheh (aka spike fiddle), a traditional Persian instrument. He describes playing the kamancheh as akin to “riding a wild horse” due to the instrument’s challenging nature.
So tune in, don’t tone out, and give the gift of a musical journey to your ears.
Watch: Kayhan Kalhor – NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
Kalhor, a musical prodigy, was born in the Kurdish city of Kermanshah and was creatively influenced by his travels to other regions of Iran. He is best known as a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble and has had a number of his compositions for that group nominated for Grammy Awards.
His live performances promise beautiful melodies and improvisations on traditional themes with virtuosic storytelling creating a trance-like atmosphere that brings the rich courtly history of the instrument to life.
Kiya Tabassian was born in 1976, in Tehran and immigrated to Montreal in 1990. He has been trained in Persian music under Reza Ghasemi and Kayhan Kalhor. He studied musical composition at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal with Gilles Tremblay and Michel Gonneville. In 1998, he co-founded Constantinople, a Montreal based ensemble that has earned an international reputation for its unique juxtaposition of early musical sources and the living traditions of the Middle East. He has recorded 16 CDs and created over 40 original programs with Constantinople, performing them at festivals and venues worldwide.
This event is sponsored by Hotel Sorrento.
Starting at 6:00PM, mingle in the Lobby and enjoy food for purchase from Soozveen; specialty beverages will also be available at our cafe. Plus: Join us in the Forum at 6:30PM for a preshow discussion with Solmaz Shakerifard, Adjunct Faculty, Music Department at Cornish College of the Arts and PhD candidate at University of Washington.
Presented in association with SAMA: Music + Art
Media Sponsor: KEXP
Support provided by: National Endowment for the Arts