The Mastān Ensemble is an Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian musical group performing traditional Persian music.

History

The group was founded as Hafez Ensemble in 2005 by Mr Sa'id Jafarzādeh Homāy (سعيد جعفرزاده هماي), also known as Parvāz Homāy (پرواز همای) and Homāy Foomani. The group's performance follows a Persian tradition of music making known as Chāmeh Sarā'i (چامه سرایی) according to which one person is in charge of writing the poems, composing the musics, arranging the instruments as well as singing the songs. The instruments employed by this Ensemble include Daf

Daf

A daf is a frame drum used as a musical instrument in popular and classical music. The term daf is used in Iran / Kurdistan for a large drum that has a series of four interlinked rings in the frame. Daf is mostly used in Middle East, Iran, Armenia, Pakistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and ...

, Dayereh

Dayereh

A dayereh is a medium-sized frame drum with jingles, used to accompany both popular and classical music in Iran , the Balkans, and many Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan...

, Kamāncheh

Kamancheh

The kamānche or kamāncha is a Persian bowed string instrument related to the bowed rebab, the historical ancestor of the kamancheh and also to the bowed lira of the Byzantine Empire, ancestor of the European violin family. The strings are played with a variable-tension bow: the word "kamancheh"...

, Lute

Lute

Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....

, Reed

Reed (instrument)

A reed is a thin strip of material which vibrates to produce a sound on a musical instrument. The reeds of most Woodwind instruments are made from Arundo donax or synthetic material; tuned reeds are made of metal or synthetics.-Single reeds:Single reeds are used on the mouthpieces of clarinets...

, Robab, Santour, Tār

Tar (lute)

The tār is a long-necked, waisted Iranian instrument. It has been adopted by other cultures and Azerbaijan. The word tar itself means "string" in Persian, though it might have the same meaning in languages influenced by Persian or any other branches of Iranian languages like Kurdish...

 and Tonbak

Tonbak

The tonbak or zarb is a goblet drum from Persia . It is considered the principal percussion instrument of Persian music...

. The Mastān Ensemble derive their inspirations from such Sufi poets as Farid ad-Din Attar, Hafez

Hafez

Khwāja Shamsu d-Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī , known by his pen name Hāfez , was a Persian lyric poet. His collected works composed of series of Persian poetry are to be found in the homes of most Iranians, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day...

 and Rumi. The performances of this Ensemble are emotionally intense and the thoughts and meanings conveyed by their musics and songs are both philosophical and contemplative.
Mastan played their debut U.S. performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2008. beside United States they also toured in Europe and Canada.

Mastan are not allowed to release their works in Iran.

Members of the Ensemble

• Parvaz Homay Homāy
  Parvaz Homay
  Parvaz Homay is an Iranian composer, lyricist, vocalist, and performer specializing in Persian classical-style music. Also known by his given birth name Saieed Jafar-Zadeh, he is better known in the public as Homay...
  
   (پرواز همای), better known as Parvāz Homāy
  Parvaz Homay
  Parvaz Homay is an Iranian composer, lyricist, vocalist, and performer specializing in Persian classical-style music. Also known by his given birth name Saieed Jafar-Zadeh, he is better known in the public as Homay...
  
  , Singer, composer of music and song, and conductor
• Esfandyār Shāh'mir , Daf
• Mahmoud Nozari , Santour
• Arjang Faramarzi , Tonbak
• Sina Jahanabadi , Kamāncheh
• Azad Mirzapour , Tār
• Pasha Hanjani , Ney
• Ali Pajouheshgar , Barbat
• Alireza Mehdizadeh , Gheychak

The composition of the ensemble is subject to some variations at different performances.