Reflections of Persian classical music

Rokh رُخ means face in persian

Bringing to the life the multifacated essence of Persian classical Music

“ Their music may be influenced by ancient classical styles and Sufi poetry, but there is nothing staid or formal in Rokh Quartet’s approach … for this is a classy and adventurous band …”

Robin Denselow
SONGLINES Magazine

Medias

Inspired by the 12th-century Persian Sufi poet Farid al-Din Attâr’s The Conference of the Birds, each instrument in the ensemble embarks on its own unique journey while contributing to the creation of a unified and collective sound. This interplay mirrors the spiritual quest for singularity within a harmonious whole.

**The name Rokh رُخ also evokes the mythical bird of Persian and Indian folklore, a symbol of grandeur and transcendence that reflects the ensemble’s artistic vision.**

Band members

Sanaz Sattarzadeh

Târ

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Hossein Rad

Vocals, percussions

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Yasamin
Shahhosseini

Oud

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Sina Danesh

Kamâncheh

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Ava Arehsazan

Oud

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Story

Texte by ROBIN DENSELOW published as a review in Songlines Magazine, July 2025

Rokh Quartet started out in 2021 with the aim of “bringing to life the multifaceted essence of Persian classical music, weaving its intricate influences and expressions into original compositions and innovative arrangements.” Rokh means face and “evokes the mythical bird of Persian and Indian folklore, a symbol of grandeur and transcendence that reflects the ensemble’s artistic vision.” The group now have two releases – a debut studio album and an EP recorded live – to show how well they have succeeded.

Their music may be influenced by ancient classical styles and Sufi poetry, but there is nothing staid or formal in Rokh Quartet’s approach, for this is a classy and adventurous band.

There are two women and two men in the line-up, which features oud, tar and kamancheh, along with vocals and percussion from Hossein Rad. The songs and instrumentals on the album switch between solo passages and intricate interplay, from the delicacy of Sattarzadeh, and the oud work now shared between two other impressive women, Yasamin Shahhosseini and Ava Arehsazan …

Sanaz Sattarzadeh

Tar

Born in 1984 in Tehran, Sanaz is an accomplished tār player, composer and teacher. A graduate of the Tehran Conservatory of Music, she obtained a master’s degree in ‘Interpretation of Iranian Instruments’ at Tehran University of the Arts in 2010.
She has benefited from the teachings of eminent masters such as Mohammad-Reza Lotfi, Houshang Zarif and Dariush Talai.
Sanaz has collaborated with various ensembles in Iran and abroad, including Neyriz under the direction of Maliheh Saeidi, Khorshid under the direction of Madjid Derakhshani, Banovan-e Sheyda under the direction of M-Reza Lotfi, and Ân, which she co-founded.
The Ân ensemble’s next album is dedicated to her compositions and will be released in 2025.

Hossein Rad

Vocals, dârayeh, tombak

Hossein Rad is a Geneva-based musician and music producer, born in Tehran. He began learning music with his father at an early age, and he has constantly sought to further his musical knowledge of the vocal and instrumental repertoires of Iranian classical music since, with important maestros such as Ali Bayâni, Djamchid Chemirani, Hamid-Reza Khalatbari, as well as western vocal technics with Muriel Ferraro. His interests reaching far and wide, he has devoted considerable attention to the different traditional repertoires of the region, namely those of Central Asia which he approached under guidance of Jean During. Hossein is the founder of Horan Sounds, a non-profit music agency which supports Iran-based musicians and promotes their projects abroad.

Yasamin Shahhosseini

Oud

Yasamin Shahhosseini, a native of Tehran, has distinguished herself as a leading young master of the oud, for which she was awarded with a prestigious Aga Khan Music Award in 2022. Highly regarded for her work with a variety of innovative ensembles as well as for her solo compositions and improvisations, her live performances and recordings shine both for their technical finesse and for the thoughtful way that she incorporates traditional material into a fresh and original musical language. Yasamin published an acclaimed oud solo album, Gahan, released in Tehran in 2015, and has become since 2020 a close musical accomplice of major international artists Ross Daly and Keyhan Kalhor.

Sina Danesh

Kamâncheh

An early prodigy of the kamâncheh, Sina Danesh won first prize at the Fajr International Music Festival youth competition at age 12 only. He first started learning music with Moussa Mohammadi, later completed his training under Ahmad Mohsenpour, and went on to study at the Tehran University of Arts, where he graduated in Iranian music performance. A member of the ensemble “Sheyda” of the legendary Mohammad Reza Lotfi from back in 2008, he is also the founder of the Ân ensemble, and regularly performs his kamâncheh for high end productions.

Ava Arehsazan

Oud

Oud player and composer, Ava Arresazan began learning music as a child with her mother, Azar Zargarian. A little later, she continued her oud training with Ehsan Emami and at the age of 18 she entered the School of Fine Arts (University of Tehran) to study Iranian music. At the same time, she began her professional career performing at the Niavaran Hall with the group Shahrazad. During this time, she was taught by Negar Boban, Dariush Talai and Yordal Tokjan, and won first prize in the 11th National Festival of Youth on oud. Immediately after graduating, she began a Master’s degree in composition, focusing on contemporary Western music, at the same university. During this period, she began collaborating with the ” Aan ” and “Noroud” ensembles, with whom she recorded two albums: “Aftab Roshan” and “Noroud”.