Traditional Iranian music at the Library of Congress

Washington D.C. (USA) – The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress presents The Sama Ensemble, performing traditional Iranian music and dance on April 25, 2007 at 12 noon. The space is at Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, Jefferson Building.

The Sama Ensemble, founded by Ali Analouei, was formed in 1998 from students of the Center for Classical Persian Music (CPCM). The ensemble (whose name references the best known of the ritual dances of the Sufis, characterized by whirling) The ensemble has performed under the auspices of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the National Geographic Society, several Universities, and venues such as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Since its founding, the ensemble has attracted professional performers, including Naser Khorasani, a renowned musician and Daf player, who joined Dr. Analouei as co-director of the Sama Ensemble in 2005.Ali Reza Analouei (Ensemble Master, tombak) was born in Esfahan, Iran. His grandfather, Naser Ali was a renowned Master of Sufism (a worldview and way of life which affirms the noblest aspects of Human character). Inspired by this example, Dr. Analouei has undertaken the lifetime quest to amplify and apply the concepts of Sufism, Erfaan, and music within his playing, his teaching, and his personal development. He has always been inspired by, and closely followed the work and style of Iran’s late master of tombak, Jahangeer Malek. Over the past two decades Dr. Analouei has played internationally in many concerts and ensembles, including various radio and television shows. He is the founder of the Sama Ensemble, and is currently a member of several important music groups based in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. At the age of ten he began playing tombak, earning him a prize from Tehran high schools, and then became a member of the Kakh-e Javanaan (youth club) Ensemble.

A member of the American Psychological Association, Naser Khorasani (daf) is a Psychologist specializing in music therapy and meditation. He was born in Tabriz, Iran in 1971. He is a highly respected Master of Persian Classical Music Theory and Practice, and especially of the daf , which is the musical instrument most used in Persian spiritual practices, as well as the tanboor.

Other members of the ensemble include: Souri Shirzadi, Giti Abrishami, Hasti Esmaeli, Nazanin Zolriasatein, Audrey Elizabeth, Haydeh Eradat, Puneh Susan Hosseini , Neda Hosseini, Behnaz Bibizadeh, Steve Bloom, and Faribandeh Fayzmehr.

For more information call 202-707-5510 or visit www.loc.gov/folklife.