Where Everything is Music

ENSEMBLE KABOUL explores the Persian music of Afghanistan, an unrecognised or even forgotten
repertoire. In this country, rich with several musical cultures, the traditional and sacred Persian heritage
testifies to a remote past and of a particular poetry. Persian cultural influence can be experienced from Lahore to Budapest and from Erevan to Cordoba.

To bring this repertoire back to life, the Ensemble Kaboul works like archeologists in order to rediscover the buried musical themes, the missing ornaments and the lost motifs of a formerly flourishing musical corpus. To renovate these buried mosaïcs, Ensemble Kaboul gathers musicians who belong to a large Persian musical family spread over numerous countries. 

KHALED ARMAN (rubab) is one of the most famous players of Afghan lute, the rubab. He introduced the instrument to the Persian, Indian and European music traditions (ancient, classical and contemporary music) when it was strictly associated with the folk repertoire. He has collaborated with viola da gamba players such as Jordi Savall and Vittorio Gielmi, performed with the Grand Eustache Orchestra in Lausanne and with the Quatuor Barbaroque in France. He writes new compositions and orchestrations for Ensemble Kaboul, works inspired by the Afghan tradition and his musical experience while living in France. He fights for the survival of this instrument in his country.

SIAR HASHIMI (tabla, voice) started learning the tabla in Kabul at the age of 4 with teacher Ustad Wali Mohammad. He then completed his training in India and Germany with masters Zakir Hussain, Anindo Chaterjee and Kumar Bose. He began working at a young age with Afghan immigrant artists Farhad Darya, Ustad Mahwash, Amad Wali as well as several big names in Indian classical music such as Hariprasat Chaurasia. In addition to the tabla, he is also a leading exponent of traditional percussion such as the zerbaghali, the dolak, and the daf.

MASUD HASHIMI (zerbaghali, percussion) is recognized as one of the most creative percussion players in the Afghan music industry. Masud has had the opportunity to participate in numerous music festivals around the world, where he has been honored with several prestigious awards. Coming from a musically inclined family, Masud began his musical journey at the age of three. He started learning percussion instruments at a very young age and continued to deepen his knowledge by studying under renowned European and Afghan instructors. Today, Masud is a well-known figure within the modern Afghan community across Europe and the United States. He frequently performs on stage with some of the most famous Asian artists, captivating audiences with his rhythm and talent.