Iranian Percussion as a Living Practice
Transcultural Music Workshop with Roshanak Rafani
All interested members of the university community—students and staff alike—are cordially invited to participate in the transcultural music workshop “Iranian Percussion as a Living Practice: Instruments, Playing Techniques, and Musical Contexts.” The internal workshop will take place on Saturday, May 16, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Room 304 at the University Center on Horn.
Moderated by Mitra Behpoori, the workshop is a collaboration with the UNESCO Chair on Transcultural Music Studies and the International Office. It is held in conjunction with UNESCO World Day for Cultural Diversity.
The instructor is the versatile percussionist and curator Roshanak Rafani, who specializes in the daf, dayereh, and tombak as well as European percussion. She studied instrumental performance (percussion) at the Barenboim-Said Academy under Dominic Oelze and social sciences in Tehran. Her artistic work spans traditional Iranian music and contemporary performance formats. Roshanak Rafani, as a member of the “Aban Ensemble,” will also be performing live at the “World Wide Weimar” concert on Monday, May 18, in the Festsaal Fürstenhaus.
The workshop centers on the development and practical implementation of transcultural compositions, rhythmic models, and musical concepts that transcend cultural and sonic boundaries. The event offers a practice-oriented approach to the sound world of Iranian percussion instruments such as tombak, daf, and dayereh, while also providing insights into their organological characteristics and cultural-historical contexts.
In addition to basic playing techniques and characteristic rhythmic and sonic concepts, there is a special focus on the connection between theoretical understanding and physical, practical experience. Through group playing, participants will develop rhythmic structures, selected elements of the repertoire, and simple improvisational approaches that open a path to the creative practice of Iranian percussion and to the musical concepts of the maqamat.
The workshop is conceived as a space for shared listening, playing, and musical exchange between tradition, improvisation, and transcultural musical practice.
The course is aimed at students and interested individuals in the artistic, academic, and educational disciplines at the FRANZ LISZT University of Music Weimar as well as at the University of Jena / Bauhaus University Weimar.
Please register to participate (instrument / voice) by May 15 via email to transmusic(at)hfm-weimar.de
[May 12, 2026]