Artist Profiles: Kiya Tabassian

Born in Tehran in 1976, Kiya Tabassian received his initial training in Persian music from Mehrdad Torabi at the Bahârlou Institute in Tehran, from Reza Ghassemi in Paris and Kayhan Kalhor in Montreal. He has since continued to develop his instrumental skills independently. He has also studied composition at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal with Gilles Tremblay and Michel Gonneville.

In 1989, he founded the Tahmassebi Ensemble. In addition to directing the group, he contributed several compositions to its repertoire. The ensemble gave many concerts throughout Iran and performed on the Iranian national broadcasting network. In 1990, upon his arrival in Canada, he co-founded the Darvish-Khan Trio, an ensemble devoted to classical Persian music. He is also the co-founder of Constantinople, an ensemble that specializes in medieval and Renaissance music, and Nowrouz, which is devoted to classical Persian music. Both ensembles have performed in a number of Canadian cities.

Kiya has collaborated with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) on various occasions as a performer and special co-host. In addition, he performs regularly throughout the U.S., France, Greece and Mexico, both as a soloist and in collaboration with other musicians.

In 2000, he was composer in residence for Musique Multi Montréal with a project entitled “Poussières d’étoiles.” Along with his brother Ziya, he recorded his first CD of Persian classical music titled Garden of the Memory on the XXI-21 label. He has also recorded several CDs with Constantinople on the ATMA label.

Since March 2002, he has been an active member of the MediMuses project, as a member of the research group on the history of Mediterranean music.

In 2015, he established and directed the very first world music residency program at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity. Between 2017 and 2022, he acted as Associate Artist of the prestigious Rencontres musicales de Conques (France), where he participated at the annual program of the festival and also presented recent creations from Constantinople. Kiya was a member of the Conseil des arts de Montréal for seven years; including as active chairman of musical decision-making committee for three years. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. He is the artistic director of the Centre des musiciens du monde, a music Centre he co-founded in Montreal, in 2017, as a space for creation, meetings, exchanges, and the transmission of knowledge between professional musicians and the public.

Constantinople’s Jardins Migrateurs (2015) was a collaboration with Senegalese griot Ablaye Cissoko. The lineup included Ablaye Cissoko on: kora & vocals; Kiya Tabassian on setar & vocals; Ziya Tabassian on percussion; and Pierre-Yves Martel on: viola de gamba.

Constantinople, Kiya Tabassian & Ghalia Benali – In the Footsteps of Rumi was released in 2022. Tabassian shared: “The great Persian poet and mystic Djalaleddine Rumi (1207-1273) left a body of work encompassing over 100,000 lines of verse. It is a timeless source of passion, but also a guide that lifts the spirit. His poems have frequently inspired me, and I have been setting them to music for many years now. The Rumi project took shape more concretely after I met the vocalist Ghalia Benali, whose art touched me deeply, with its capacity to transform each moment into a state of wonder and each note into a fascinating story. Together, Ghalia and I chose a selection of poems, both in Persian and in Arabic. Enjoy an hour of music both profound and spontaneous that follows in the footsteps of Rumi.“

In 2025, Kiya Tabassian’s Constantinople ensemble released Nordic Lights in Persian Sky, a delightful collaboration with Norwegian fiddler Benedicte Maurseth.

Discography:

Terres Turquoises (Atma Classique, 2004)
Mania (Atma Classique, 2005)
Masafat (Ambiances Magnétiques, 2009)
Zarb-e Osul (self-release, 2020)

With Constantinople (Early Music ensemble)

Musique du Moyen Âge et de la Renaissance (Atma)
Memoria Sefardí – Jewish & Christian Spanish Music (Atma)
Li Tans Nouveaus (Atma)
De Castille à Samarkand (Atma 22383)
Greece – Carrefour De La Méditerrannée, with ensemble En Chordais (Atma)
Que le Yable les emporte (Atma Classique)
Terra nostra – 17th century Mexico (Atma 22567)
Ay Amor (Atma Classique)
Premiers Songes (Analekta)
Metamorfosi
Marco Polo (World Village)
Jardins migrateurs (Analekta)

Constantinople & Ablaye Cissoko – Jardins Migrateurs (2015)
Constantinople, Kiya Tabassian & Ghalia Benali – In the Footsteps of Rumi (Glossa, 2022)
Constantinople & Benedicte Maurseth – Nordic Lights in Persian Sky (Glossa, 2025)

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.