Joolaee Trio feat. Golnar Shahyar

From Mashhad, Iran, to international stages – Misagh Joolaee’s musical journey has long been marked by exceptional talent. At just 13 years old, he won first prize at the renowned Fajr Music Festival in Teheran, after learning the Radif (a highly complex canon of Persian classical music) in an impressively short amount of time. His training in violin and the bowed string instrument kamancheh with leading Iranian virtuosos has resulted in a playing style that is both technically brilliant and deeply rooted in tradition. This path eventually led him to Germany, where, after initially working as a teacher at the University of Hildesheim, he has now established himself as a distinguished soloist and composer.

In 2021, Joolaee founded the Joolaee Trio, in which he explores new musical spaces with pianist and internationally renowned Bach specialist Schaghajegh Nosrati and the highly versatile percussionist Sebastian Flaig. Their debut album Morgenwind (2024), released on GWK Records, was immediately awarded the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics’ Award) – an accolade that Joolaee’s solo albums have already received several times.

In Joolaee’s work, cultures meet on equal terms – beyond any simplistic notions of “East and West”. Rather than relying on superficial exoticism, he lets the clear structure of European chamber music fuse organically with the narrative freedom of Persian classical music. His compositions unfold like musical dialogues: personal, precise, deeply rooted in a centuries-old tradition and yet shaped by the experience of new beginnings.

For this concert, the renowned Iranian singer Golnar Shahyar will be joining the trio. With her remarkable vocal presence and improvisational depth, she will add new sonic layers and intensify the dialogue between the instruments.

Misagh Joolaee – Kamancheh

Schaghajegh Nosrati – Piano

Sebastian Flaig – Percussion

Golnar Shahyar – Vocal