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Timeline
Our history
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2 milestones
The Birth of SAMA
The Beginning of a Musical Journey
On a hot summer day in 1994, in the city of Shiraz, the idea of forming a small music ensemble was born. Ali Pirabi suggested to his close friend Hamid Beik Mohammadi that they create a group dedicated to performing Iranian music. From friendship, passion, and a shared love for music, the story of SAMA began.
The First Melodies
Hamid gladly accepted the idea. The group’s first rehearsals began with Hamid playing the setar and Ali playing the santur. The first rehearsals of SAMA took place in Ali’s small practice room on the ground floor of the house where he had grown up together with his parents, sisters, and brothers. Their first chosen piece was “Elahe Naz,” composed by the Iranian composer Akbar Mohseni. Since they did not have access to the sheet music, Ali handwrote the notes for both santur and setar. After several rehearsal sessions, the very first sounds of SAMA slowly came to life.
The Ensemble Begins to Grow
As time passed, additional musicians joined the small SAMA group. The first was Alireza Fazeli, a tombak player who had been a longtime friend and musical collaborator of Ali Pirabi, performing alongside him in numerous concerts. Shortly afterward, Siavash Zarei, a ney player, also became part of the ensemble.
As the number of members increased, so did the group’s musical possibilities. More pieces were selected and rehearsed, and gradually the need for a vocalist became apparent. During those years, friends and acquaintances of the SAMA musicians would occasionally join rehearsals or participate in performances of particular pieces. In this way, SAMA slowly evolved from a two-person project into a vibrant and steadily growing ensemble
