Kayhan Kalhor Ensemble

On 11 November 2026 Kayhan Kalhor will perform with his ensemble at SPOT/De Oosterpoort in Groningen. Born in Tehran, the kamancheh player grew up in a Kurdish family and for years has moved between the classical Persian tradition and related repertoires from the Middle East. He learned the radif at an early age, played as a teenager in the national radio orchestra, and later forged a career between Europe and North America in which performing, composing and teaching nourish one another.

His music centers on modal improvisation, long-breathed forms and a melodic approach rich in subtle ornamentation. Persian modes are shaded by Anatolian and Kurdish lines, sometimes touched by Indian phrasing and by the transparency of Western chamber music. Those who know him from Dastan, Ghazal or Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, or from collaborations with Erdal Erzincan, Brooklyn Rider or the Rembrandt Trio, will recognize that open dialogue.

With the Kayhan Kalhor Ensemble he explores the tension between tradition and the present: a collective listening experience in which timbre, rhythm and space are gradually revealed. Groningen will be treated to an evening in which the kamancheh leads the narrative and the ensemble sketches its contours.