Biography

Vahid Bassam is a musician, luthier, instructor, and expert on the tar and the setar (Persian musical instruments) with more than 40 years of experience. He has become best known for his works on the performing style of Mirza Hossein Qoli which he has implemented both in his own performances as well as in his teachings. He is currently the only musician to teach and play Mirza Hosseingholi’s style using a 5-string Tar.

Vahid Bassam began his journey in music under the supervision of Dariush Pirniakan. In 1983, he deepened his understanding of the Persian repertoire (the Radif) by learning from icons of the field including Maestros Aliakbar Shahnazi and Ahmad Ebadi. Fascinated by these teachings, he decided to focus his work on the performing style of the 19th-century legendary Tar player Mirza Hossein-Qoli. This led him to dedicate the next ten years of his career studying Radif with Maestro Majid Kiani. 

Vahid holds a B.A. in Music and an M.A. in Philosophy of Art from Tehran University of Art with a thesis on the fundamentals of Hikma in Iranian music. As an adjunct lecturer, he has taught courses on music at the Soore University and The University of Applied Science and Technology (UAST) .

He has written and has been cited in several articles published in major art journals. This includes an essay published in Kayhan-Farhangi on the evolution of performing styles of Tar and Setar throughout history. He later expanded the article to define the aesthetics and philosophical principles of these performing styles. The article was published in Mahoor journal.

In 2010, he released his album titled “Tar Dar Aghoush” which includes four solo pieces performed with a 5-string Tar and inspired by the performing style of Mirza Hossein Qoli.

His notable performances include collaborations with Soroush Ensemble in Iran as well as solo Tar and Setar performances in countries such as Japan, South Africa, and the U.K.

Having taught Tar and Setar to hundreds of students over four decades, Vahid founded Seesaaz music institute in 2012. His goal was to contribute to the cultural expanson by making music more accessible for everyone.

List of contributions

Albums

Performances & Talks

  • Music in the Qajar dynasty, National Museum of Iran, 2019. Link.
  • Authenticity in Iranian Music: Lecture and Performance. Yazd, Iran 2014. Youtube (1, 2)
  • Raaz-e-Tar: Symbolizing the structure of Tar, Semnan, Iran. 2013. Youtube
  • Collaborations with the embassy of Iran in Pretoria, South Africa. 2003
  • Concert with Soroush ensemble, Niavaran Cultural Center, Tehran. 2001. Link
  • Collaborations with the embassy of Iran in Wales, the U.K., 1997
  • Farsh Festival, Tokyo Japan, 1990.

Articles

Citations

Media Appearance

  • Raz-e-hozour: A conversation on authentic music, IRIB TV4, 2018. link