Majeed Qadianie

Born in Tehran, Majeed Qadianie has been playing the Persian string instruments Tār and Setār since the age of twelve. He received lessons from Habibollah Salehi and Reza Vohdani, two masters who were among the last authentic mediators of the canon (Radifs) of traditional Persian music. Qadianie was among the first musicians to attend a conservatory after the revolution. In Tehran, he earned degrees in Tār, Setār, composition, and (Western) harmony. After emigrating to Germany in 1996, he played concerts worldwide as a solo artist with a special focus on European countries.

In 2010, Qadianie founded the Institut für West-Östliche Musik in Berlin, of which he remains artistic director. The Institute has organized numerous workshops with different experts and music virtuosos and more than 350 concerts and tours for renowned Iranian musicians. The Institute has also published works and albums by both emerging and renowned Iranian artists. This is all the more significant as musicians lack opportunities to publish their works due to the prevailing censorship in Iran. One of Majeed Qadianie’s special concerns is to make women, who are not allowed to sing in public in the Islamic Republic, more visible in Persian music with the help of singing lessons.