Kiu Haghighi is a leading Persian classical santoor player. His instrument, the santoor (or santur), dates back to the eleventh century. This ancient instrument is a trapezoid-shaped walnut box with eighty strings which are fitted over and between ten bridges in groups of four and are struck with thin, wooden mallets covered on the tips with leather. In addition to being the prototype of the piano, variations on the santoor, such as the hammered dulcimer and the cymbalom, have been introduced in Hungary, Germany, China, Japan, Greece and India.
Kiu Haghighi began his lifetime study of the santoor at the age of ten. As a teenager, he performed on National Iranian Radio. At nineteen he was invited to join the Iranian Ministry of Education and Art as the featured soloist in the Academy Orchestra and as a regular performer on National Iranian Television.
Since 1965 he has performed concerts in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Israel, Switzerland and Japan.
Discography:
Music From Iran (Candle Records)
The Santour (1998)
Music for the Soul (2000)
Reflections (2004)
Musical mosaic (2008)
Unity East West (2013)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
