Composer Farid Sheek’s new ensemble consisting of the Russian cellist Maya Friedman, the Dutch harpist Doriene Marselje and the Iranian opera singer Mohsen Masoumi. Influences from the Western (contemporary) classical tradition and age-old Persian music find each other in an eclectic, melancholy yet hopeful sound. Sabr is Persian for ‘patience’, and the phrase ‘Sabr, sabr!’ is often used to calm and reassure people. In the same way, Sabr Ensemble’s composer Farid Sheek tries

Curious to find out where my daf-instruments come from? They are made by a specialist, called Mustafa. Because the drums are not being made in a fabric, but are handmade, the production is a very time consuming and intensive process. Thus, Mustafa only makes three or four instruments a day. When I visited his workplace, it was impressive to see how these drums are made: with so much love, care and complete calmness. The only goal seemed to be to produce the daf in the best an

Scientific studies have shown, throughout the years, that music has a lot of positive effects on our health. Music helps us relax, decreases our blood pressure, and is seen as the ultimate cure for stress, because it releases endorphins in the brain and lowers the level of stress hormones. Listening to music alone has a positive impact on our health, but making music even more. Health is a pyramid with three sides: body, mind and soul. Although a lot of people focus on one or

Farid Sheek was born in Isfahan, Iran in 1994. As the son of a famous Iranian musician, Sheek grew up surrounded by the sounds of traditional Eastern music. At a young age, he learned to play Iran’s ancient percussion instrument the daf, and since then never stopped. After finishing high school, Sheek decided to do what he loves most and study music. At the Isfahan Conservatory, He specialized in both the daf and the piano, (The focus here was of course on Persian music). Whe