Ziya Tabassian

Ziya Tabassian began playing the tombak (Iranian drum) at the age of ten. After a brief initiation period in Iran, he continued his autodidactic training in Montreal, his adopted homeland. From 1994 to 2001, he studied classical Western percussion with Julien Grégoire and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in percussion from the Université de Montréal. In 2003, during a residency at The Banff Centre for the arts, he explored the contemporary music repertoire with Iranian percussion instruments. A tireless explorer, he continues his personal research and had advanced courses with Bahman Rajabi (Teheran), Aziz Alami (Fez), Trichy Sankaran (Toronto), Mısırli Ahmet (Istanbul), Shree Sundarkumar and Yogesh Samsi (India).
As a percussionist, Ziya Tabassian is professionally active in early music (medieval, Renaissance and Baroque), as well as contemporary and world music. He performs with many ensembles, including Ensemble Caprice, Regard Persan and has performed concerts in more than 40 countries in some prestigious festivals and concert halls.
Ziya Tabassian has many albums to his credit on some major labels with great ensembles and artists. He recently released his second solo album, “The Circle of the Cycles”, stemming from his researches on the rhythmic cycles and new techniques on the tombak.