Kalhor/Fard/Pomianowska / Iran/Poland

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Outstanding Iranian artists will take us on a musical, cultural and spiritual journey to the sources of Persian tradition. Kayhan Kalhor, an absolute master playing the kamancheh will be concerting together with Ali Bahrami Fardem playing the Persian santur. Maria Pomianowska will be the guest star at the concert that will be the opportunity for a meeting of two acclaimed artists – from Iran and from Poland – playing the knee fiddle.

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Kayhan Kalhor is considered an ambassador of the Iranian music stage. He is a world-renowned virtuoso of the kamancheh – a traditional Persian string instrument entered on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Three times nominated for the Grammy Award (this year award-winning as a member of Silk Road Ensemble for the best record in World Music category), the artist cultivates his ancestral traditions, whilst at the same time taking up new artistic challenges. He practices improvisation and enthusiastically gets involved in international artistic projects. He has splendid recordings with such artists as Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, Erdal Erzincan and the excellent Ghazal group to his credit. For years he has been a member of Silk Road Ensemble under Yo-Yo Ma. He did the recording with Kronos Quartet. He composed music for film and TV. He cooperated with Osvaldo Golijov, recording the soundtrack to the film Youth Without Youth directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Shiraz-born Ali Bahrami Fard, is one on the masters of the santur, showing high technical skills and quality of sound. He co-created the quintet Santour Navazan and gives concerts together with Baran Ensemble and Iran Zamin Ensemble. He composes music for film, theatre and TV. He is the author of books and essays on Iranian music.

 

Maria Pomianowska holds the title of Doctor habilitatus in music. She is a multi-instrumentalist, a vocalist, a composer, a reconstruct or of old, forgotten instruments and a teacher. She is a professor at the Academy of Music in Krakow and director of the international Cross-Culture Festival. She plays, among other instruments, the reconstructed Biłgoraj suka and the Plock fiddle. For 30 years she has given concerts all over the world, with such outstanding artists as: Boris Grebenshchikov, Ram Narayan, Fazal Qureshi, Gil Goldstein, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Ian Gillan. She presented Polish music at the imperial court in Japan. She released over 20 author’s records. What Pomianowska’s and Kalhor’s careers have in common is that they both graduated in the cello and have cooperated with the greatest cellist of our time -- legendary Yo Yo Ma.

 

The concert is also attended by Aleksandra Kauf graduate of the Academy of Music in Krakow, in the knee fiddle class. She has also been active in concert performances. She has also participated in Maria Pomianowska's artistic projects in India, China, Korea, Russia and Lithuania.
 

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The concert took place in 2017.