Elshan Ghasimi

Elshan Ghasimi is a Persian musician and performance artist. She is one of the most well-known soloists of her generation; her instrument is the tar, a long-necked lute.

She was, at 17, the youngest member of the Iranian National Orchestra and studied the Persian and the so- called Caucasian tar under various masters in Tehran and Baku (Mohammad-Reza Lotfi, Dariush Talai and Hossein Alizadeh, amongst others).

In her compositions and performances, Ghasimi repeatedly draws on literary themes (e.g. Brecht, Gilgamesch, Nizām al-Mulk) and seeks to merge classical Persian music with Western paradigms through collaborations transcending genres (early music, jazz, electronic music).

Ghasimi lives and works in Berlin and Tehran.

Photos © Max Schwarzmann