Kayhan Kalhor

Born in 1963 in Tehran into a Kurdish family from western Iran, Kayhan Kalhor is rooted in the tradition of Persian art music while linking it to Kurdish repertoires and neighboring Middle Eastern musics. A specialist in the kamancheh, he trained very young in the radif in Tehran, joined the National Iranian Radio and Television Orchestra as an adolescent and thereafter continued his career between Europe and North America after the Iranian Revolution, where he also developed work as a composer and educator. Active in ensembles such as Dastan and the duo Ghazal, he is also involved in Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, placing his music in constant dialogue with contemporary music, Western classical traditions and the so‑called ‘world’ music scene. His discography mixes solo albums and collaborative projects, among them Scattering Stars Like Dust (1998), The Wind, a duo with Turkish musician Erdal Erzincan (2006), Silent City with the Brooklyn Rider string quartet (2008), I Will Not Stand Alone (2011), Hawniyaz focusing on Kurdish repertoire (2016) and It’s Still Autumn with the Rembrandt Trio (2019). Kayhan Kalhor’s style is characterised by extensive modal improvisation, long-form structures and highly ornamented melodic playing that articulates Persian modes with Anatolian, Kurdish and Indian colours and the textures of Western chamber music.