Behrang Nikaeen and Hozan Hashempour

Sunday • 2:30 pm – 3:30pm | The Nina Haggerty Gallery (9225 118 Ave)
Sunday • 4:00 pm – 4:45pm | The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse (9351 118 Ave)

Behrang Nikaeen is an Iranian musician and ethnomusicologist based in Edmonton. His musical practice focuses on West Asian musical traditions, especially Iranian, Kurdish, Azerbaijani, and Turkish music. He plays several long-necked lutes and frame drums, and his work often explores improvisation, intercultural collaboration, and music as a way of creating connection. He recently completed his PhD in Ethnomusicology at the University of Alberta, and his current work brings together performance, research, community music-making, disability, accessibility, and music for well-being. hozan hashempour is a Kurdish musician, sound designer, and ethnomusicologist based in Edmonton. They hold a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Persian traditional music performance, and are currently a PhD candidate in ethnomusicology at the University of Alberta. hozan is trained in tar and setar, and before moving to Canada in 2021, they taught music at several music institutes in Iran for more than a decade. Since arriving in Edmonton, hozan has performed Persian music collaborating with other local Persian musicians, and has participated in multidisciplinary collaborations involving music, performance, and video.