Tehran native Kayhan Kalhor is a master of Persian musical traditions that stretch back thousands of years. These ancient forms combine classical precision with improvisation, and Kalhor seamlessly interweaves the two disciplines on his kamancheh, a plaintive-voiced upright fiddle. While his mastery of that instrument originally brought him fame in this country as a founding member of Yo-Yo Ma’s celebrated Silk Road Ensemble, he is also a sought-after soloist.
Kalhor will perform in the intimate auditorium of Duke’s Nasher Museum in conjunction with Doris Duke’s Shangri-La, an exhibition of the philanthropist’s astounding collection of Islamic Art. He will be accompanied by his countryman Ali Bahrami Fard on the santour (a Persian hammered dulcimer); together, they make music that harkens back to ancient traditions while embracing our current times.
Made possible, in part, with support from the Nasher Museum of Art, in conjunction with their exhibition Doris Duke’s Shangri La: Architecture, Landscape, and Islamic Art, on view August 29 through December 29.