June 5 :: Homayoun Shajarian : Master Persian Classical Vocalist

HOMAYOUN SHAJARIAN: MASTER PERSIAN CLASSICAL VOCALIST – w/ DASTAN ENSEMBLE as part of the Sounds Of Persia Series

Sounds of Persia acknowledges the generous support of Dr. Kouroush Reyhanian.

Small World Music presents the last of the five-part SOUNDS OF PERSIA Series of performances showcasing the breadth and beauty of music from Iran and its diaspora. Fresh off of their European tour, HOMAYOUN SHAJARIAN and the DASTAN ENSEMBLE will return to Toronto to perform their stunning musical and poetic compositions in the time-honoured Persian Classical style. For more information, please visit www.smallworldmusic.com.

Tehran-born Persian classical vocalist HOMAYOUN SHAJARIAN is the son of Mohammad Reza Shajarian, who is the grand master vocalist of traditional Persian music. Athough he learned Persian traditional vocal Avaz style and gained knowledge of Avaz techniques and voice-production under his father’s supervision, at the age of five, he had already begun studying technique and rhythm under the supervision of Nasser Farhangfar, master of tombak. He then furthered his study with Jamshid Mohebbi. Kamancheh was Shajarian’s professional instrument of choice when attending the Tehran Conservatory of Music and he thrived under the tutorship of Ardeshir Kamkar.

In 1991 he began playing tombak with the Ava Music Ensemble accompanied by his father, as well as Hossein Alizadeh and Keyhan Kalhor. From 1999 on he started accompanying his father on vocals and has performed in several famous festivals, including Fez Festival (Morocco), Kölner Philharmonie, New York World Music Institute and Paris Theatre.

DASTAN ENSEMBLE, founded in 1991, is the most prominent classical Iranian music group of today. The ensemble, comprised of five virtuoso instrumentalists, provides a fresh approach to Persian classical music. Their focus is on the performance of music and poetry which, in the Middle East, are inextricably linked. Both contain melody, rhythm, tonality and silence. Poetry is nurtured by rhythm and by the magical sound of music, while music is nurtured by the succinctness and tangible structure of poetry.

The group has been presented in countless international cultural centers and important festivals worldwide including: Fez- Festival (Morocco), Theatre de la Ville (Paris), World Festival of Sacred Music the Americas (Los Angeles), Romaeuropa-Festival (Roma-Parma), The First UK Annual Festival (London), Kölner Philharmonie, KIT-Tropenteater Amsterdam, Orange County Philharmonie, Rikskonsertene (Oslo) and Alcala de Henares Festival (Spain).

THE PERFORMERS:

Homayoun Shajarian Avaz (vocal)
Hossein Behroozinia Barbat (short-necked lute)
Hamid Motebassem Tar (long-necked lute)
Said Farajpoori Kamancheh (spike fiddle)
Pejman Hadadi Tonbak & Dayereh (percussion)
Behnam Samani Daf, Dammam & Kuzeh (percussion)

WHO: HOMAYOUN SHAJARIAN & Dastan Ensemble
WHAT: A Small World Music Presentation
WHERE: Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge. St.
WHEN: Friday, June 5 @ 8:00 pm
TICKETS: $25 – $55 and VIP $95 by calling 416 872-1111 or at Pars Video 416-512-2414
WEBSITES: www.dastan.net