“There is no rock guitarist, no oud player, possibly no musician anywhere in the world with such subtle yet fearsome chops on a fretted instrument.” – New York Music Daily

Sahba Motallebi is an Iranian songwriter, Tar, Setar and Shoorangiz virtuoso and an internationally acclaimed musician. As a teenager in her native Iran she pushed against patrimonial restrictions and emerged as a dynamo on her instruments; when she was only 14 she began her studies at the Tehran Conservatory of Music and between the years 1995-98 she was a four-time winner as best tar player at the Iranian Music Festival (she also studied abroad, in Russia and Turkey). While still in school she cofounded the boundary-breaking female music ensemble Chakaveh; in 1999 she was invited to join the prestigious Iranian National Orchestra, which initiated her global performance career. Sahba has achieved extraordinary recognition as an expat and she’s been honored by performing with the great master Hossein Alizadeh. She was recognized as the best Tar player at the Iranian Music Festival (FAJR) for four consecutive years. Author of two educational etudes for Tar and Setar, Sahba has served as music instructor at the Pasadena State College (CA), Lawrence University (WI), and Berklee College of Music (MA).