Acclaimed tar virtuoso Sahba Motallebi, known as the “Queen of the Tar,” opens the evening with an extraordinary solo performance. She’ll then be joined by an outstanding ensemble featuring Marjan Vahdat, an award-winning vocalist celebrated for her distinctive contemporary interpretation of Persian music; Reza Mohsenipour, a tar and bass tar master, musicologist and composer whose work is devoted to preserving and expanding the rich traditions of Persian classical music; and Hamid Mohsenipour, a dynamic percussionist, flutist, composer, and co-founder of the Barbad Project with his brothers Reza and Navid.

“A virtuoso performer.” – LA Weekly

“There is no rock guitarist, no oud player, possibly no musician anywhere in the world with such subtle yet fearsome chops on a fretted instrument.” – New York Music Daily

Presented by Robert Browning Associates and Lotus Music & Dance in partnership with Roulette.

Sahba Motallebi is recognized internationally for her exquisite performances of Persian music on the tar, a lute-like stringed instrument central to one of the world’s great musical traditions. Widely recognized as a master of the Persian tar, she has dedicated her life to preserving the rich traditions of Persian classical music while expanding its expressive possibilities through original composition and interdisciplinary artistic work. With a career that spans decades, she has been acclaimed for her solo performances and collaborations with such renowned artists as Hossein Alizadeh, Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Yo-Yo Ma, and Kayhan Kalhor, and her work on the Grammy-winning Fandango at the Wall album.