Creative Extensions of Classical Persian Music
In this workshop, Hesam Abedini will introduce you to the repertoire of classical Persian music (Radif). You will learn about the structure of classical Persian music by learning and singing a short song in Persian, for which we will provide you with translations and music during the workshop. This workshop is designed for everyone, regardless of your prior musical experience or interaction with Persian culture and language.
The workshop will conclude with a duo performance by Afarin Nazarijou on Qanun and Hesam Abedini on Vocals. In this performance, Afarin and Hesam will present their polystylistic approach to music-making inspired by Persian music and free improvisation.
This event is free, but registration is recommended and donations are appreciated to help support our programming.
The Artists
Hesam Abedini is an Iranian-American performer-composer, improviser, educator, producer, and filmmaker residing in California. His work crosses the boundaries between idioms as wide as Western contemporary music, classical Persian music, free improvisation, and computer music. He is the founding member of the Sibarg, an intercultural creative music ensemble that combines traditional Persian music and Jazz. Hesam’s music has been performed by various musicians and ensembles, such as the JACK Quartet, Atlas Ensemble, Del Sol Quartet, and Loadbang, to name a few.
Hesam is the director of the National Endowment for the Arts and Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute-sponsored Documentary film “From Isfahan to Irvine”. His film has been screened and archived in the Library of Congress USA. He is a graduate of the Tehran Music Conservatory and holds his B.A. in Music Composition with honors from UCSD. In 2022, Hesam completed a Ph.D. in Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (ICIT) at UC Irvine. He has served as an adjunct professor of music at UC Irvine, Saddleback College, and Soka University of America. In Fall 2023, Hesam Abedini will join the Department of Music at Butte College as an Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition.
Afarin Nazarijou, an Iranian Qanun player, started music by playing Piano at five and expanded Qanun (traditional Persian string instrument), which became her primary instrument. She also started to play the Tombak (Persian percussion instrument) in the Tehran Music School, where she graduated with a high school diploma. Afarin graduated from the University of Tehran with a BA and MA of Performing Iranian music.
To expand her multicultural perspective of music, she decided to go abroad. In 2021 Afarin received a MA in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Currently, she is a master’s student at the University of Alberta. Afarin has performed in various music festivals around Europe and North America in the last decade. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and passion for music with different cultures globally, playing Iranian Classical music, free improvisation, composing, and arranging for mixed ensembles.
