Manoochehr Sadeghi Ensemble
Manoochehr Sadeghi is a master of the santur (a Persian hammered dulcimer), with 45 years of professional experience both in the United States and his native Persia (Iran). Sadeghi is a recipient of the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the United States’ highest honor in folk and traditional arts. He is the first person of Persian background to receive such an honor.
He began studying at a young age under Abol Hassan Saba, a legendary figure in Persian classical music, and was a member of the first Orchestra of the Fine Arts Department of Iran. As a member of this orchestra and many other Iranian government sponsored ensembles, he has performed for many foreign dignitaries and heads of state from India, Pakistan, Turkey, Denmark, Great Britain, The Netherlands and America. He has performed on Tehran radio and television and taught at the Conservatory of Persian National Music in Tehran.
After moving to the U.S. in 1964, he studied, taught and performed at the University California, Los Angeles, for 25 years and has performed at the Smithsonian Institution’s Sackler & Freer Gallery, the Kennedy Center’s Millenium Stage and the J. Paul Getty Museum.
