From 8 to 9 December, the Intercultural Institute of Comparative Music Studies at the Giorgio Cini Foundation is organising its eleventh annual workshop in the theory and practice of zarb, held by Maestro Bijan Chemirani (son of the well-known virtuoso Djamchid).
The zarb, a classic Persian instrument, is the earliest Middle Eastern percussion instrument. It originated in Northern Africa and subsequently became known in Turkey, Eastern Europe and Africa. A single-headed goblet shaped drum in walnut, it is the only instrument besides the Indian tabla to be played with the fingertips rather than with the palm of one’s hand and, as such, is considered a ‘melodic’ rather than ‘percussion’ instrument.

Born into a family of musicians, Bijan Chemirani began studying zarb early on with his father Djamchid and his brother Keyvan. He also plays the daf, another Iranian percussion instrument of folk origin, used today in traditional music ensembles.
Chemirani has performed in numerous concerts throughout Europe and the Mediterannean, in accompaniment to both traditional music (the Moroccan singer Amina Alaoui, the santoor virtuoso Hassan Tabbar…) and jazz (Percussion Orchestra, A. Mangelsdorff, Chico Freeman). He has held frequent zarb workshops in France, Spain and Switzerland.