Experimental Link: Persian Alchemy

When/Where?

	Saturday , November 16th , 2024
	8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
	$25.57 - $37.61
	Small World Centre
	180 Shaw St, Toronto, ON M6J 2W5 ,

Presented by Small World Music and Link Music Lab

Join us for a night of cross cultural Persian music influenced by Indian talas and experimental motifs with four exquisite Toronto musicians.

About the Artists:

Neda Mohamadpour, originally from Tehran, Iran, grew up immersed in traditional folk, and Persian classical music. Her early love for music sparked a deep curiosity about diverse musical styles from around the world, especially Middle Eastern folk music. She had the privilege of training with renowned Persian female musicians Simin Ghanem and Malihe Moradi. She is committed to representing the music of her land and sharing its essence with wider audiences. For Neda, folk music is more than melodies—it preserves people’s stories, histories, and lived experiences.

Mehdi Rostami was born in Kermanshah, Iran. Having started learning setar at the age of six, he pursued advanced studies with Ostad Mohammadreza Lotfi and took master classes with Hossein Alizadeh and Kayhan Kalhor. In 2010 Mehdi started his own collaborative projects in the UK, working with musicians from different cultures such as Maya Yousef, Tara Jaff and Gilad Atzmon. ‘Melodic Circles’ is their first official release which was released internationally through ARC Music in 2016.

Dhaivat Jani is a Toronto-based award-winning drummer/tabla player and composer. Originating from Ahmedabad, India, Dhaivat commenced his musical journey at age 5, delving into Indian classical music with a focus on the tabla. He achieved tabla Visharad at 16 with three gold medals. A recent graduate from Humber College with a Bachelor of Music, Dhaivat has been calling Toronto his home since late 2018.

Isaiah Farahbakhsh creates heart-forward music on the cello. Through studies in improvisation rooted in Iranian classical music and Black American music, they embrace a sensitive spontaneity in their sonic approach, a listening and melding that unpacks artificial categorizations and welcomes the emergence of the aggregate. Using microtonal tuning systems inspired by the Iranian Radif and extended techniques, they explore concepts of in-betweenness through critical (de)construction of genre and tonal framework.

The 2024 Small World Music Series is sponsored by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment and funded by the Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council.