Kiya Tabassian

Kiya Tabassian (born on August 11, 1976, in Tehran) is an Iranian musician, singer, and composer. He moved to Canada in 1990 and created the musical ensemble Constantinople, assuming the roles of both artistic director and composer. Constantinople includes the interplay between Persian musical traditions and a variety of global styles.

Early life and education Tabassian was born and raised in Iran. At the age of 12, he learned the setâr, a traditional Persian string instrument. This led him to play and reinterpret pieces from traditional Persian music during his formative years. At the age of 14, he moved to Montreal, Canada, with his parents and two brothers. Musical career Kiya Tabassian founded the Constantinople ensemble in 1998 and has been its artistic director ever since. From 2002 to 2005, Tabassian was part of the research group on the history of Mediterranean music in the international MediMuses project and collaborated on various recording endeavours. Tabassian has also contributed to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Bradyworks, and the European Broadcasting Union.

He has composed music for documentary films such as Jabaroot and Voices of the Unheard. That same year, he co-founded the Centre des musiciens du monde in Montreal with ethnomusicologist Frédéric Léotar, where he served as artistic director and oversaw the "Centre des musiciens du monde" record collection on the Analekta label until 2022.

In 2020, Tabassian co-authored, alongside poet Hélène Dorion, the musical and poetic suite "Le temps des forêts", based on life stories collected from residents of LTCHs in Montreal. He was also commissioned by the to lead a reflection committee on the role of world music in the realm of concert music.

Discography

Musique du Moyen Âge et de la Renaissance, Atma Classique Memoria Sefardí – Musique d'Espagne juive et chrétienne, Atma Classique Li Tans Nouveaus – troubadours (Châtelain de Coucy, Li nouviauz tanz et mais et violete, Anne Azéma), Atma Classique De Castille à Samarkand, with Guy Ross, Atma Classique Grèce – Carrefour de la Méditerranée, with En Chordais, Atma Classique Que le Yable les emporte, with Bernard Simard, Atma Classique Terres Turquoises, La princessa y el caballero, Françoise Atlan, Atma Classique Mania, Atma Classique Terra nostra, José Ángel Gutiérrez, Teresita de Jesús Islas, Atma Classique Ay Amor, with Françoise Atlan, Atma Classique Premiers Songes, poems by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Analekta Metamorfosi, Italian Baroque, Analekta The Musical Voyages of Marco Polo, with En Chordais, World Village Jardins migrateurs, Persian and Mandingo music, Analekta Horizons lointains, with Belem, Kora and Ko Traversées, with Ablaye Cissoko, Kora and Ko …Cette ville étrange, Dreyer Gaido La porta d'oriente, with Marco Beasley, Glossa In the Footsteps of Rumi, with Ghalia Benali, Glossa Il Ponte di Leonardo, with Marco Beasley, Note 1 Music GmbH Pilgrimage, with Cappella Mariana, Supraphon Nordic Lights in Persian Sky, with Benedicte Maurseth, Glossa Estuaire, with Ablaye Cissoko, Ma Case Dialogos, with Holland Baroque, Pentatone