My hearts wants to cry out

Delam Faryad Mikhahad — “my heart wants to cry out” — is an evening of Persian classical music that travels backward through time: from the living tradition of today to the court music of the Timurid era, six centuries ago.

The program unfolds in three parts. It opens with two solo performances — Babak Daneshvar on santour, then Shahin Shahbazi on tar — each a journey through the expressive depth of a single instrument in the hands of a master. The evening closes with the three musicians together: Babak Daneshvar now on oud, Shahin Shahbazi on tar, and Behnam Daneshvar on tombak, performing the music of Abd al-Qadir Maraghi (d. 1435, Herat), the celebrated composer and theorist of the Timurid courts, whose writings remain among the most important sources we have on Persian music. Melodies that have not been heard in a concert hall for generations bring the journey to its destination.

Brief introductions from the musicians guide listeners through each part of the program — no prior familiarity with Persian music is needed. The performance runs approximately 90 minutes.

Program

• Part I — Santour solo · Babak Daneshvar
• Part II — Tar solo · Shahin Shahbazi
• Part III — The Music of Abd al-Qadir Maraghi · Babak Daneshvar (oud), Shahin Shahbazi (tar), Behnam Daneshvar (tombak)

About the Artists

Babak Daneshvar

Babak Daneshvar is an Iranian santour and oud player, composer, and educator whose career bridges the rich traditions of Iranian classical music with a contemporary artistic vision. His musical journey began during his high school years and later developed through academic study at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, where he studied Iranian Classical Music.

Following his graduation, he founded the Daneshvar School of Music, where he mentored numerous students across a wide range of musical disciplines and, alongside his siblings, helped cultivate a new generation of musicians. During his years in Iran, he performed in numerous concerts throughout the country and represented Iranian music on international stages in Azerbaijan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Germany, Switzerland, England, Scotland, and Algeria.

After relocating to the United States, Daneshvar continued his dedication to teaching the santour and oud while maintaining an active performance career, presenting concerts across the country. Alongside his work as a performer and educator, he has released several recordings, including the album Prelude (2017), and has composed original scores for feature films and documentary projects, including the acclaimed documentaries Soltaniyeh Dome and Rakhtshooykhaneh (The Wash House).

With a career spanning performance, education, recording, and composition, Babak Daneshvar continues to share the expressive depth and timeless beauty of Persian oud playing with audiences around the world — both Iranian and non-Iranian — through his dedicated YouTube channel, Babak Daneshvar.

Shahin Shahbazi

Shahin Shahbazi is an Iranian American composer, ethnomusicologist, and virtuoso tar and setar performer based in Washington State. He began his musical journey at the age of ten on the tombak before studying the tar and setar under the guidance of his mother. He later trained in Persian classical music with renowned masters including Mohammad Reza Lotfi, Dariush Talaei, Hossein Alizadeh, Hooshang Zarif, and Farhad Fakhreddini, while further developing his orchestration skills through master classes with Professor Manuchehr Sahbai. His academic formation was shaped by the ethnomusicology courses of Dr. Mohsen Hajarian and later expanded in the United States under the mentorship of Hafez Modirzadeh, John-Carlos Perea, Shannon Dudley, and Bruce Cook.

Shahin is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington, where he also teaches as an instructor in the School of Music. His research focuses on Persian classical music, oral tradition, improvisation, and the preservation and transmission of the Radif. In addition to his scholarly work, he actively collaborates with artists from diverse musical traditions, including Native American, jazz, Latin American, and other world music cultures, fostering cross-cultural dialogue through performance, composition, and improvisation.

As a performer, Shahbazi gave his first public concert at the age of eleven and founded his own ensemble by the age of twenty. He has released fourteen albums, contributed to more than thirty recordings, and performed throughout Iran, the United States, Europe, India, and Central Asia. His honors include the Best Young Soloist Festival award in Tehran (2000) and the Best Music Album award at the Iran Music House Festival (2013).

An accomplished author, Shahbazi has published Selected Works of Amir Jahed and Chaharmezrab. He also led and recorded the first complete ensemble performance of the Advanced Radif of Master Ali Akbar Shahnazi, performed by Ensemble Nafir — a landmark project in Iranian classical music that documents a repertoire traditionally transmitted and performed as a solo tradition. His work brings together performance, composition, teaching, and scholarship, contributing to the preservation and global recognition of Persian classical music.

Behnam Daneshvar

Behnam Daneshvar is an accomplished tombak player whose musical journey has been shaped by years of dedicated study in the style of the renowned master Bahman Rajabi, under the guidance of Hamid Ghanbari.

During his years in Iran, Behnam trained numerous students while actively appearing in concerts with a variety of ensembles and musicians across Iran and on international stages.

Since immigrating to the United States, he has continued his artistic career through performances with the Daneshvar Family Ensemble, as well as collaborations with both Iranian and international musicians. His performances have brought Persian rhythmic traditions to audiences in cities and states across the United States, reflecting his ongoing commitment to preserving and sharing the rich heritage of Persian rhythms.