“There is no rock guitarist, no oud player, and perhaps no musician in the world with such subtle yet fearsome chops on a fretted instrument.”
– New York Daily News
Sahba Motallebi is a virtuoso tar and setar player, composer, author, music educator, and the first Iranian-American woman to win a Grammy Award. She received the award for Best Latin Jazz Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards as part of the band Alja.
Sahba is a graduate of Tehran’s Conservatory of Music and continued her higher education in composition at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She later earned her degree in World Music Performance and Dance from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).
Her astonishing mastery of the tar and her creation of unique, profoundly moving works have established her as a global figure in music. Sahba is the only Iranian female musician to break through the long-standing male-dominated cultural taboos surrounding Iranian music and claim the title of “Master.” She is often referred to around the world as the Jimi Hendrix of the tar and The Queen of Tar.
She has collaborated with renowned artists such as Hossein Alizadeh, Kayhan Kalhor, and Mohammad Reza Shajarian, performing as a soloist and ensemble member with Iran’s National Orchestra under the direction of Farhad Fakhreddini. She has also graced prestigious international stages including the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and leading universities such as Berkeley and UCLA. Her musical collaborations include working with artists like Yo-Yo Ma, Rahim AlHaj, and Arthur O’Farrill.
The New York Daily News has written:
“She is one of the most breathtaking instrumentalists in the world.”
Sahba is not only a masterful performer but also a passionate and dedicated teacher. She was the first Iranian artist to launch online instruction in traditional Iranian music starting in 2011. Since then, she has released over a thousand free educational videos on her YouTube channel, SahbaMusic, helping thousands of students around the globe learn the tar, setar, and the deeper essence of Persian classical music. Her innovative teaching methods have played a crucial role in preserving and expanding this ancient art, nurturing generations of musicians. In 2014, she was named among the 18 most influential women in arts and culture.
Her body of work includes several published method books for tar, a collection of original compositions, orchestrated works, and eight albums.
But Sahba’s music is more than performance — it is a bridge between earth and sky, a ritual of healing, and a call to spiritual awakening. With her profound connection to sound, she transmits not only sonic beauty but also a transcendent, therapeutic energy. Her performances are often described by audiences as mystical experiences. For her, music is a sacred tool for transformation, awakening, and human connection.
