New York-Fou Gallery cordially invites you to String: Classical Persian Music and Improvisation on July 20th. Kamancheh player Niloufar Shiri and oud player Bahar Badieitabar will perform their latest compositions, featuring classical Iranian music, contemporary elements, and unique improvisations, offering the audience a delightful midsummer experience.

Niloufar Shiri

Kamancheh player, composer, and sound artist,  Niloufar Shiri's musical world lies at the intersection of classical Iranian music, contemporary music, and improvisation. Her focus revolves around exploring the concept of displacement in relation to familiar and distant environments. Her music closely examines textural and timbral spaces, drawing inspiration from staggered pitch relations found in the Radif, as well as bird sounds, noise, and feedback. Her unique and radical approach to kamancheh performance significantly expands the sonic capabilities of the instrument and places her at the forefront of its practice.

Niloufar works both as a composer and performer and has been exhibited at venues and festivals such as Mostly Mozart, Ojai Music Festival, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Angel City Jazz Festival, Roulette, National Sawdust, San Diego Symphony, and Skirball NYU, among others.

As an active Kamancheh performer and researcher on the compositional approaches of the Kamancheh, she has conducted numerous lectures and residencies regarding Kamancheh performance and extended techniques in universities such as Pomona College in Claremont, Stanford University, University of California, San Diego, North Carolina State University, Longy School of Music, and Seoul Institute of the Arts, among others.

Niloufar Shiri began her musical journey at the Tehran Music Conservatory in Iran. She later immigrated to the USA and pursued her studies in composition at the University of California, San Diego, and Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (ICIT) at the University of California, Irvine.

Bahar Badeitabar

Bahar’s bio: Bahar Badieitabar, an Iranian Oud player and composer, recently graduated on a full scholarship with a double major in composition and performance from Berklee College of Music. At the age of 12, Bahar began her musical training at the Tehran Music School, where she earned her high school diploma in music. She studied under notable oud players, including Siavash Roshan, Negar Bouban, and Yurdal Tukcan. Bahar won first place at the Iranian Youth National Music Festival for two consecutive years at ages 16 and 17. She has performed as both a performer and composer at numerous venues, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, MCG Jazz, and Groton Hill Music Center, as well as at music festivals in Iran and the United States, collaborating with musicians of diverse backgrounds.

In 2017, Bahar began her undergraduate studies in Oud Performance at the University of Tehran before moving to the United States
to study at Berklee. She has studied and worked with acclaimed musicians such as Marti Epstein, Kris Davis, and Alain Mallet, and has been a part of Berklee's Institute of Jazz Gender and Justice since 2022.

Bahar's background contributes to her authentic composition approach, rooted in Iranian classical music, contemporary concert music, and jazz. Currently, she is a member of Danilo Perez's Global Jazz Messengers. She has shared the stage with Grammy-winning, world-renowned musicians, including John Patitucci, Brian Blade, Danilo Perez and Bruno Raberg.

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