Ava Parvinnejad

About Me

My musical journey began at the age of 10 with the daf, an instrument that introduced me to the essence of rhythm. At the age of 12, I saw the tanbur for the first time during a concert by the Shams Ensemble, led by Master Keykhosro Pournazeri, and from that very moment, I fell in love with its sound. After advancing in daf playing, I decided at the age of 16 to seriously pursue learning the tanbur. Along with my family, I visited the House of Tanbur (Shams Institute), met Master Pournazeri, and had the honor of becoming his student. During this period, I practiced diligently and, out of passion, made every effort not to miss a single class. After four years of dedicated training, I joined the ensemble of top students under Master Pournazeri and simultaneously began learning the maqam repertoire (traditional modal pieces). The experience of performing and playing alongside this group for five years provided me with invaluable lessons. Ultimately, in 2017 (1396 in the Persian calendar), I received an official teaching certificate from Master Keykhosro Pournazeri and began teaching in person at music academies. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have continued my teaching online as well, and I now offer both in-person and online instruction. To deepen my understanding of the tanbur in regional Iranian music, I began in 2023 (1402) to study the technique of Master Nour-Ali Elahi as well as the Lorestani tanbur style of Emamgholi Emami under the guidance of Master Pouria Faraji.

Teaching Method

Instruction in this class is based on sight-reading (notation-based learning). Through this method, students not only learn to read music but also become familiar with rhythm reading and the foundational concepts of music theory. Depending on the student's level, we will use standard method books, selected works by renowned tanbur masters, and important maqams (modes) specific to the instrument. In addition to instrumental practice, we will also include reading and interpreting Persian poetry, as I believe a musician should be able to read poetry properly, understand its meaning, and let its emotion flow through their music.

Experience

• Began studying the style of Master Nour-Ali Elahi and Lorestani tanbur (Imamgholi Emami's tradition) under Master Pouria Faraji in 2023 (1402) • Teaching at music academies such as Parsia, Deldar, Asgon, and others since 2018 (1397) • Received official teaching certificate from Master Keykhosro Pournazeri in 2017 (1396) • Member of the Top Students’ Ensemble led by Master Pournazeri since 2015 (1394) • Studied maqam playing with Donya Kamali from 2015 to 2017 (1394–1396) • Participated in a tanbur masterclass with Sohrab Pournazeri in 2015 (1394) • Collaborated with music groups such as Khat-e Sevvom and Derang in live performances from 2007 to 2014 (1386–1393) • Performed solo daf and tanbur in schools and universities from 2006 to 2018 (1385–1397)