Mehrdad Arabifard
Mehrdad Arabifard | |
|---|---|
| Native name | مهرداد اعرابی فرد |
| Born | Tehran, Iran |
| Genres | Persian classical, contemporary Iranian music |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, composer, musician, educator |
| Instruments | Tombak, Daf, Violin, Kamancheh |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Associated acts | Hassan Kasaie, Jalil Shahnaz |
Mehrdad Arabifard is an Iranian-American producer, composer, and scholar specializing in Persian percussion. He is recognized for his contributions to the pedagogy and performance of traditional and contemporary Iranian music, particularly for his work with the tombak and daf.
Early Life and Education
Arabifard began his formal music education at the Center for the Preservation of Music in Tehran from 1980 to 1987, studying tombak under Morteza A’yan and later Amir-Nasser Eftetah.[1] He also studied kamancheh and violin with Mohammad Moghadassi. His training continued with Persian violin and the Radif of Saba under Moghadassi and Reza Rahimi Jafari, as well as Radif instruction from Dovoud Ganjeie. He pursued Western classical violin studies with Rubin Tahmassians and Joe Ovsep Ketendjian and studied music theory under Mehdi Javanfar.[2]
Career
Arabifard is known for his refined tombak technique, integrating both traditional and modern approaches. In 1990, he published a three-volume instructional manual on tombak, which is regarded as a leading pedagogical resource in Persian percussion.[3]
He is the founder of the Persian Drums Institute in Los Angeles, where he emphasizes a musical rather than purely rhythmic approach to percussion. His students have frequently received honors at the Fajr Music Festival, an event affiliated with UNESCO.[4]
From 2016 to 2021, Arabifard served as Co-Director of the Music of Persia Ensemble at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and introduced Persian percussion classes at the university’s Herb Alpert School of Music.[5]
Compositions and Collaborations
Arabifard has contributed to more than 60 albums as a composer, arranger, and performer. He has collaborated with notable Iranian musicians such as Hassan Kasaie and Jalil Shahnaz.
His film credits include performances in The Passion of the Christ (2004), Hidalgo (2004), Helen of Troy (2003), and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016). He composed and arranged the full score for Babak’s First Norooz, the first Iranian-American animated film, and produced Maman Shamsi’s Love Songs in honor of his mother.[6]
Publications
Arabifard is the author of Daf & Taraneh, a daf and songbook published by the Jordan Center for Persian Studies at the University of California, Irvine.[7]
Recognition
Arabifard has received awards from the Daytona Beach Symphony Society, the University of Borneo, the City of Madrid, and the City of Nicosia. He is a recipient of the Master Musician Fellowship Award from the Durfee Foundation and was nominated for a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) award in 2022.[8]
External links
See also
- Music of Iran
- Persian classical music
- Tombak
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- ↑ "Mehrdad Arabifard Biography". YouTube. August 15, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
- ↑ Arabifard, Mehrdad (2021). Daf & Taraneh. Jordan Center for Persian Studies, University of California, Irvine. ISBN 978-1-59553-915-2 Check
|isbn=value: checksum (help). Search this book on
- ↑ Mehrdad Arabifard (1990). The Tombak Method. Independent. Search this book on
- ↑ "Fajr Music Festival Results". YouTube. July 14, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
- ↑ "UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Faculty". YouTube. February 14, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
- ↑ "IMDb Credits: Mehrdad Arabifard". IMDb. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
- ↑ Arabifard, Mehrdad (April 26, 2019). Daf & Taraneh – UC Irvine Jordan Center. Mehrdad Arabifard. ISBN 978-1949743098. Search this book on
- ↑ "Durfee Foundation Master Musicians". Retrieved May 13, 2025.
