New York City will host a landmark evening of music and cultural heritage when Kayhan Kalhor, Iran’s Grammy-winning master of the kamancheh (spike fiddle), performs at The Town Hall on Sunday, November 30, at 7 p.m.Presented by Doost Music, the concert marks Kalhor’s first large-scale Persian classical performance in New York City in more than ten years.
Kalhor will be joined by Kiya Tabassian on setar (a Persian lute) and Behrouz Jamali on tombak (a goblet drum and principal percussion instrument of Persian classical music). Together, the trio will present an evening of traditional and improvised Persian music, performed by some of the most accomplished living interpreters of the genre.
A Global Ambassador for Persian Music
Widely celebrated as one of Iran’s most influential contemporary composers and performers, Kayhan Kalhor has spent decades bringing the depth and beauty of Persian classical music to audiences around the world. A Grammy Award winner and multiple nominee, his artistry transcends borders and genres.
Kalhor is perhaps best known internationally through his collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, The Masters of Persian Music (with Mohammad Reza Shajarian and Hossein Alizadeh), and the Persian-Indian ensemble Ghazal with sitarist Shujaat Husain Khan. He has also worked with the Kronos Quartet, Brooklyn Rider, Malian kora master Toumani Diabaté, and Turkish virtuoso Erdal Erzincan.
Earlier this year, Kalhor premiered Venus in the Mirror, a double concerto for kamancheh, cello, and orchestra, written for and performed with Yo-Yo Ma and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in Hamburg, Germany. The work reflects Kalhor’s enduring curiosity about the connections between Eastern and Western string traditions — the ancient kamancheh, he notes, “is the father of many bowed instruments in the West. The cello is one of them.”
Music as Cultural Dialogue
Kalhor’s upcoming Town Hall performance represents more than a musical event — it is a cultural exchange rooted in centuries of artistic tradition.
“We come from a venerable culture that has made profound contributions to the world through poetry, science, architecture, philosophy, and art,” says Kalhor. “Through my music, I hope to reveal the splendor of my homeland, so often misrepresented and maligned. When people connect through music, the space opens for dialogue, awareness, and discovery.”
Born in Iran to a Kurdish family, Kalhor began performing professionally at age 13 as a member of the Iranian National Radio and Television Orchestra. He later studied classical and regional Iranian music as well as Western traditions in Rome and Ottawa, shaping his distinctive global approach to composition and performance.
His Collaborators: Kiya Tabassian and Behrouz Jamali
Kalhor’s Town Hall concert will feature two exceptional musicians. Kiya Tabassian, an acclaimed setar player, composer, and vocalist, is a Montreal-based artist and one of Kalhor’s former students. As co-founder and artistic director of the Centre des Musiciens du Monde in Montreal, Tabassian is known for bridging Persian musical traditions with contemporary and international influences.
Behrouz Jamali, an American-based tombak player, composer, and filmmaker, is renowned for his mastery of Persian percussion and his innovative work across genres.
Together, the trio will present a deeply spiritual yet accessible program that showcases Persian classical music’s emotional and improvisational power.
“Our music is not religious,” Kalhor emphasizes. “But it is deeply connected to Iranian philosophy and mysticism, and this makes it spiritual. This concert is pure music — it has nothing to do with politics or social matters. As musicians, our mission is to tell the story of our culture.”
Event Details
Doost Music Presents:
Kayhan Kalhor: An Evening of Persian Classical Music
with Kiya Tabassian (setar) and Behrouz Jamali (tombak)
Sunday, November 30, 2025
7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
The Town Hall, 123 W 43rd St, New York, NY
Tickets from $78.50 — available now at thetownhall.org