Āriā Mohāfez
Santūr player & instructor, music composer
Born in 1983, Tehran
B.Sc. in Civil Engineering
Studied Santūr under Saeid Ma’soumi from 1990, Mehri Rāst-Ghadam, and learned the Habib Samā’ī technique with Majid Kiāni from 1997 to 2002.
Attended several courses by Mohammad-rezā Lotfi at the “Mirzā Abdollāh School of Music” (Maktab-khāneh-ye Mirzā Abdollāh).Collaborated in record and performance in works by Esfandiār Monfaredzādeh and Hamid Motebassem.
Second prize in “solo performance section,” at the 5th “Mugham Festival” in Baku (Azerbaijan), 2018.
Ensemble and Group Memberships
• “Hamnavāzān-e Shaydā” (Ensemble of Shaydā), under the direction of Mohammad-rezā Lotfi – from 2007 to 2014
• “Sepidār,” under the direction of Siāvash Imāni – since 2016
• “Ān” Ensemble, founding member, active to present
Live Performances in Iran
• “Hamnavāzān-e Shaydā” (Ensemble of Shaydā) and “Reconstruction of Shaydā” (Bazsazi-e Shaydā), ensemble performance under Mohammad-rezā Lotfi’s direction, featuring the “The Three Shaydā Ensembles;” Ministry of Interior Hall, Tehran, May 2008
• “Hamnavāzān-e Shaydā” (Ensemble of Shaydā) performance under Mohammad-rezā Lotfi’s direction; Fakhreddin As’ad Gorgāni Hall, Gorgan, December 2008
• “Hamnavāzān-e Shaydā” (Ensemble of Shaydā) performance under Mohammad-rezā Lotfi’s direction; performances of “Chāvūsh (6)” at the 24th “International Fajr Music Festival;” Ministry of Interior Hall, Tehran, February 2009
• “Hamnavāzān-e Shaydā” (Ensemble of Shaydā) performance under Mohammad-rezā Lotfi’s direction; Main Hall of Milad Tower Conference Center, Tehran, June 2010
• “Hamnavāzān-e Shaydā” (Ensemble of Shaydā) performance under Mohammad-rezā Lotfi’s direction; Afifābād Garden, Shiraz, July 2010
• “Hamnavāzān-e Shaydā” (Ensemble of Shaydā) performance under Mohammad-rezā Lotfi’s direction; Milād Conference Hall, Tehran International Exhibitions, Tehran, November 2011
• “Hamnavāzān-e Shaydā” (Ensemble of Shaydā) concert tour under Mohammad-rezā Lotfi’s direction; Māzandarān, September 2012
• Solo performance in “An Evening of Iranian Instruments (1)” as part of the “An Evening of Iranian Instruments” (Shab-e Sāz-e Irāni) concert series; Niāvarān Cultural Center, Tehran, May 2014
• Solo performance in “An Evening of Iranian Instruments (3)” as part of the “An Evening of Iranian Instruments” (Shab-e Sāz-e Irāni) concert series, Rūdaki Hall; Tehran, February 2015
• “Ān” ensemble performance in the “Within your Absence, When Shall I last” (Bā Ferāqat Chand Sāzam) concert, composed by Sepideh Meshki; Niāvarān Cultural Center, Tehran, August 2017
• “Ān” ensemble performance in the “Bright Sun” (Āftāb-e Roshan) concert, composed by Āriā Mohāfez; Niāvarān Cultural Center, Tehran, July 2018
• “Ān” ensemble performance in the “A Trace from Me” (Az Man Neshān) concert, composed by Sānāz Sattārzādeh; Niāvarān Cultural Center, Tehran, August 2019
International Live Performances
performance of “Sepidār” Ensemble during their Swiss-French tour, and at the “ADEM – Les Nuits du Monde” festival, led by Siāvash Imāni, with compositions by Siāvash Imāni and Āriā Mohāfez; Geneva, Neuchâtel, Vevey, Lyon, 2021
Group Albums (as Performer)
• “Chāvūsh (6) (Sepideh)”; “My Motherland Iran” (Vatanam Irān); “In Memory of Āref Qazvini” (Yādvāre-ye Āref Qazvini); “Shadow of the Soul” (Sāye-ye Jān); “The Art of Time Scale” (Honar-e Gām-e Zamān); “The Stroke of a String” (Zakhme-ye Sāz) – Performance by “Hamnavāzān-e Shaydā” under the direction of Mohammad-rezā Lotfi; published by “Āvā-ye Shaydā,” 2008 – 2013
• “Within your Absence, When Shall I last” (Bā Ferāqat Chand Sāzam) – Performance by “Ān” Ensemble, composed by Sepideh Meshki; published by “Parde-ye Honar-e Mūsīqi,” 2017
• “Tāsh” – Ensemble performance of “Sepidār” ensemble, composed and supervised by Siāvash Imāni; published by “Māhūr Institute,” 2021
• “A Trace” (Neshān) – Performance by “Ān” Ensemble, composed by Sānāz Sattārzādeh; published by “Navā Institute”(London), 2025
Group and Solo Albums (as Composer, Creator, and Performer)
• “Sarvā” – Santūr and Tombak duets with Pedrām Khāvarzamini; published by “Māhūr Institute,” 2016
• “Peydā” (Evident) – Santūr and Tombak duets with Pedrām Khāvarzamini; published by “Māhūr Institute,” 2018
• “Bright Sun” (Āftāb-e Roshan) – Performance by “Ān” Ensemble, composed by Āriā Mohāfez; published by “Mahūr Institute,” 2023
Educational and Research Activities
• Instructing at “Mirzā Abdollāh School of Music” (Maktab-khāneh-ye Mirzā Abdollāh) – Tehran, since 2008
• Instructing at “Bāgh-e Naghme-hā” Music Academy – Tehran, from 2013 to 2023
• Instructing at “Navā-ye Shahr-Āshūb” Music Academy – Tehran, from 2012 to 2024
