Padideh Ahranejad and Pedram Khavarzamini

Padideh Ahrarnejad started playing tar with Behrouz Hemati, Hossein Alizadeh, and Hooshang Zarif in her native Iran. She graduated from Tehran Art Music School, completed her studies at the Art University of Tehran, and was named the best tar player at the Fadjr Music Festival in Iran several times. A member of Iran’s Radio and Television Orchestra and Iran’s National Music Orchestra, she performed in Austria, China, Cuba, Germany, Kuwait, Switzerland, and at the Rumi Festival in Norway. A tar soloist with the Simorq Orchestra, she has performed on many albums released in Iran, including Honarmandan-e Javan, under the supervision of acclaimed Iranian composer Hossein Alizadeh. Soon after moving to Canada, she was chosen as one of 12 members of the Royal Conservatory’s New Canadian Global Music Orchestra. Pedram Khavarzamini, one of the world’s foremost Iranian Tombak players, lives in Toronto, Canada. Tombak is the main percussion instrument in classical persian music, and Pedram is considered to be one of the most interesting players. Pedram founded his own Percussion-Tombak group, named VARASHAN. He released his album KOOTAH, compositions of Pedram for group of Tombak and Persians percussions, with Hamid Ghambary, which was produced in Iran and Europe. In 2002, he has played with Ross Daly and Labyrinth in the “Bowed Instrument Festival”. After meeting with Ross Daly in Germany, Pedram joined Ross in Greece. He recorded “Irish” with and under the directions of Ross Daly, which is the meeting point of some artists from India and Iran. He also became a member of the “Labyrinth” group, led by Ross Daly.