Kayhan Kalhor and Ali Akbar Moradi
GRAMMY Award winner and internationally acclaimed kamancheh (spiked fiddle) virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor performs with tanbur (plucked lute) master Ali Akbar Moradi in Tirgan Festival 2019. Two virtuosos perform together for a rare evening of centuries-old and deeply-rooted Persian and Kurdish improvisations. Kamancheh (spiked fiddle) master Kayhan Kalhor will be joined by Ali Akbar Moradi, a master of the Sufi tanbur (lute) and ambassador of Kurdish music worldwide. With improvisation as the focal point of their intensely spiritual and emotional music, Kalhor and Moradi bring the audience into a trance-like state through ecstatic rhythms and beautiful melodies. Kayhan Kalhor is a founding member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble which received a Grammy in 2016 for the album “Sing Me Home”. He has composed and played music for Iran’s most renowned vocalists including Mohammad Reza Shajarian and Shahram Nazeri, and has toured as a soloist with ensembles and orchestras including the New York Philharmonic and Orchestre National de Lyon. Ali Akbar Moradi is a master tanbur (Persian lute) player and performed throughout the world with the most renowned Kurdish and Persian singers. His tanbur playing is mesmerizing and deeply enriched with ancient techniques behind novel melodies of Iran and Mesopotamia region. Moradi’s soulful performance coupled with his special vocal mode masterfully combines different elements of Kurdish and Persian musical culture in a timeless and ethereal environment. Tirgan Festival proudly presents “Kayhan Kalhor and Ali Akbar Moradi live in Concert” as part of Tirgan Festival 2019 and invites music lover of every background to immerse themselves into an emotional and enchanting improvisation by masters of Persian and Kurdish music.