Samyar Modabber

Musicians

Samyar Modabber became interested in the tanbur in 1998 after listening to the album “Motreb-e Mahtabroo” by the Shams Tanbur Ensemble. Shortly thereafter, he learned the fundamentals of tanbur playing from Saeid Zakari. Due to limited access to formal instruction, he continued his musical education as a self-taught musician. Over the years, he performed tanbur in private musical gatherings. Like many traditional tanbur players, he plays primarily by ear and without relying on written musical notation. Since March 2026, he has been performing tanbur with the Transcultural Ensemble under the direction of Ali Pirabi. Following Pirabi’s recommendation, he later joined the SAMA Ensemble as a bass tar player.