Sahba Motallebi and Reza Mohsenipour

Presented in collaboration with Philly Iranians and Bowerbird.

Sahba Motallebi and Reza Mohsenipour:

Mesmerizing with her command of the tar, setar and shoorangiz, the Grammy award winning Sahba Motallabli captivates audiences globally with music born from centuries of Iranian tradition, interpreted through a contemporary lens, creating brand new music rooted in the past. She takes the listener on a journey of enchanted song, through a flurry of rhythmic chord hits and punctuated finger-work. Her hands dance across the strings, agile and flexible, effortless even at lightning speed. Known as “Queen of the Tar,” or “Jimi Hendrix, but on Tar,” Sahba invites us into a terrain of perfected sound with nuanced harmonics and siren-like whispers.

Born into a Baha’I family in Tehran and later relocating to Sari near the Caspian Sea, Sahba began her musical career at age 11 by learning the setar. Three years later, her talent earned her a…