Pirayeh Pourafar (left) and her apprentice Aidan Okhovat.
Photos courtesy of Pirayeh Pourafar
The Persian Tar is a two and a half octave plucked stringed instrument made of mulberry wood. The basis of Persian traditional music is the Radif, the Persian music repertoire, which is passed from student to teacher. Studying the Radif teaches the student the instrumental techniques, aesthetic principles, and the implicit rules of composition and improvisation in Persian music. Pirayeh Pourafar learned the Radif as a student of Grand Master Ali Akbar-Khan Shahnazi at the Royal National Music Conservatory of Teheran. Since moving to Los Angeles she has directed two successful Persian music ensembles, Nava Ensemble and Lian Ensemble. She will pass on her knowledge of the Radif to Aidan Okhovat, a young man who began playing Tar a few years ago, inspired by his father and grand-father’s love of Persian music.
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