Nava Ensemble

About the Artist

Shahriar Saleh was born in 1948 in Tehran, Iran, and began playing Santur at the age of eleven, followed by violin and guitar. He came to the US in 1967, and while attending an Engineering School, he studied music as his minor. Upon completion of his graduate work, he returned to Iran in 1975, and for four years worked with many prominent Iranian musicians, focusing on Persian Classical Music. He returned to the US in 1979, established the "Saba Ensemble" to revive great Persian Classical pieces, and ever since, either with the ensemble, or as a solo artist has performed in many universities, and other cultural institutions. Since 1982 he has been teaching Santur, Violin, Tombak, Vocal and Guitar, and he is proud to have been able to share his love and knowledge of Persian Classical Music with many talented Iranian students of all ages. For the last twelve years, he has been working as a Project Manager with NIH, and upon retirement, his goal would be to establish a formal artistic center in the Washington Metropolitan Area for preservation and enhancement of the Persian Classical Music, as well as many other unique arts of Iran.

NAVA Ensemble
Throughout many years of teaching, Shahriar Saleh realized that there are many talented Iranian music students, who would further advance, if they'd have a chance to perform together. Therefore, he established the NAVA Ensemble about five years ago. The young members of this ensemble are mostly of Iranian descent ranging from eight to twenty years of age, although some older players also participate. The goal of establishing this ensemble is to give these young players a purpose and an incentive to learn and to play the great Persian Classical pieces. They should then be able to share it with their American friends and the rest of the world, as the world is indeed becoming smaller and smaller.