TEHRAN – After a number of pandemic online gigs, Iranian Kamancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor has resumed live international performances with a concert in Belgium on Monday.

Turkish baglama master Erdal Erzincan will be with the five-time Grammy Award nominee in a performance scheduled to be held at De Centrale in Ghent.

Salle de Musique de Chambre in Luxembourg will be his next stop on Wednesday, where he will perform with setar player Kia Tabasian.

Tabasian is one of the co-founders of Ensemble Constantinople in Montréal. 

“In the spirit of a musical practice acknowledging neither geographical nor historical borders, the two Iranian performers invite their audience on a journey to their musical roots – between tradition and renewal,” the organizers said.

Kalhor plans to join the Dutch ensemble Rembrandt Trio on May 28 in a concert, which will be performed during Jazz Sous Les Pommiers, an annual weeklong jazz festival in Coutances, France.

Kalhor and Tabasian will team up again in Canada on June 3 to perform a concert at the Grosvenor Theatre in the Kay Meek Arts Centre, West Vancouver.

“From dawn to dusk, music reigns among the stars of Persian civilization. The traditional music of Iran, unique to the Orient, is the fruit of a mystical heritage with a fascinating capacity for constant regeneration,” the organizers said in their statement for the concert.

“Carrying on tradition while uncovering the future, they make poetry that sings of times both old and new, and contributes to a culture that is in full swing,” they added.

The Roundhouse in Vancouver will also host the duo the next day.

The joint performances of Kalhor and Tabasian will continue with a program named “Under the Persian Musical Sky” on June 9 and 10 at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.

They will also perform on June 11 at the Musée des Beaux Arts de Montréal.

The duo’s last Canadian concert will be held at the Grand Théâtre de Québec on May 13.

Photo: A file photo shows Kamancheh master Kayhan Kalhor and setar virtuoso Kia Tabasian performing. 

MMS/YAW