Biography

Pedram Khavar-Zamini was born in 1975, in Teheran. He learned to play the tombak alongside to tombak masters Kamyar Mohabbat and Ostad Bahman Rajabi. After 5 years of study, he began performing in public with Ostad Bahman Rajabi, duet for Tombak, and helped to write Rajabi`s second method book for Tombak. In 1999, in collaboration with Hamid Ghanbary, he edited a book on collection of works by Amir Nasser Eftetah, one of Iran`s most famous Tombak masters.

Pedram has his own percussion tombak group, named “Varashan”. He has also composed and released his first work for group tombak, named “Koutah” with the percussionist Hamid Ghambary, produced in Iran and Europe. He is a member of the music group “Aftab”, and has performed in the music works composed by Reza Fayaz “Dargozar” and “Dar Khane-ye Aftab”.

Pedram Khavarzamini has worked with the famous classical Persian musicians Kayhan Kalhor and Moradi . He is one of the most sought after Tombak teachers in Teheran.

In 2002, he performed some concerts in duet with Kayhan Kalhor, in Germany, and with Kayhan Kalhor, George Petrov, Ross Daly for the “ Bowed Instrument Festival”.

n 2003 he joined the “ Kayhan Kalhor “ensemble for a tour in the US and Europe, organized by the World Music Institute.

After meeting Ross Daly in Germany, Pedram decided to leave Iran and join Ross in Greece. He has recorded “Iris” with and under the direction of Ross Daly. This album is the meeting point of the most popular artists of Persian and Indian music: Pedram Khavar-Zamini, Dhruba Ghosh, Partha Sarathi Mukherjee, Hamid Khabazi, along with the Greek virtuosos Vasilis Rakopoulos, Kelli Thoma, Giorgis Xylouris.

Pedram has also become a member of the “Labyrinth” group, directed by Ross Daly.

He meets and plays with very talented Greek musicians such as Stelios Petrakis, Vassilis Stavrakakis, Giorgos Xylouris, Kelly Thoma… and also with some of the most interesting musicians from all over the world, such as Habil Aliev, Mohamad Rahim Khushnawaz, Dariush Talai, Ballake Sissoko, Ellika Frisell, Dhruba Gosh, Khaled and Hossein Arman, Siamak Aghaie,…always finding a way to bring his instrument to every kind of music

He has also recorded Cd`s with great musicians such as Habil Aliev or Mitsos Stavrakakis.

In 2003, Ali Akbar Moradi, famous tanbur player from Kurdistan, invited Perdram to play with him for the “Mehregan Festival”, in Yazd, Iran.

In 2005, he joined Pejman Hadadi and the “Zarbang” ensemble for a concert in Koln, Germany.

Pedram has a unique way of playing the tombak in the sense that he keeps a traditional base whilst adding his own modern patterns, using advanced techniques. In this way he creates active rhythms and new sounds.

The first thing that strikes one when he plays is his incredible energy, and it`s also very important for him to use the tombak in different styles of music, a part Iranian music, but always respecting his roots.

Pedram has played in some of the most beautiful places in the world such as “Theatre de la Ville” in Paris, “Lincoln Centre Hall” in New York, “the Cleveland Museum of Art”, “the Thomas Jefferson Theatre” in Washington, “the Chicago Cultural Centre”, and in many different countries like France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Switzerland… He is considered to be one of the most brillant artists from the new generation of Persian classical music