Varia Amiri Tar Persian Traditional Instrument
Veria Amiri is a multidisciplinary musician, scientist based in London and the
founder of Sornai House of Music, where he teaches Tar and Setar.
Veria Amiri was born in Tehran in early 80s. Both his parents were educated in
humanities and philosophy and were interested in Natural Sciences art and
music. He received his early education in science, literature and philosophy from
his parents.
His Musical career began by studying music at six years of age under Maestro
Jalal Zolfonun. Two years later the family moved to England, and he continued his
music education in London. By age thirteen he was giving small performances at
different events and venues in London. Continuing his music studies under
various teachers, he studied the Setar under Turaj Hasanzadeh, maestro Keivan
Saket and learned the radif Tradition on Setar under Jalal Zolfonun. Later on in
London he studied Tar and the Persian Radif for Tar under Tinoush Bahrami,
Siamak Nemat-Naser and Jamal Samavati.
His music studies continued under Sahba Motallebi and maestro Hossein
Alizadeh, where his focus was to learn and analyse maestro Alizadeh’s full
repertoire of compositions. He later began studying Ali Akbar Shahnazi’s
Advanced Radif and repertoire under Behrouz Hemmati, also Saba and Hormozi’s
repertoire under Maziar Kalantarian.
Over the years he has also developed elementary skills on instruments such as
Tonbak, Tanbour and Turkish Baqlama.
Veria Amiri is a virtuoso on the Tar and Setar. He has played with many different
ensembles and philharmonic orchestras in the UK, western Europe and Turkey.
He has performed in many different venues such as the South Bank Centre,
Cadogan Hall, Artsdepot London, Ismaili Centre, Brunei Gallery etc. He has
received numerous awards from different societies and British Council’s Culture
and Development centre. He has also been teaching Tar and Setar and holding
workshops for Iranian music since 2004.
Over the years, he has taught many students, few of which become semi-
professional and professional musicians.
He is also a mathematical physicist graduated from UCL in 2008 and spent
another four years of research and teaching in the mathematics department of
Royal Holloway University of London. He has been writing on issues such as
quantum field theory and philosophy of science and interpretations of quantum
physics for public understanding of science. He has also been teaching quantum
physics since 2010.
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Over the years, he has taught many students, few of which become semi-
professional and professional musicians.
He is also a mathematical physicist graduated from UCL in 2008 and spent
another four years of research and teaching in the mathematics department of
Royal Holloway University of London. He has been writing on issues such as
quantum field theory and philosophy of science and interpretations of quantum
physics for public understanding of science. He has also been teaching quantum
physics since 2010.
In 2008 Veria Amiri and Payam Iran-Manesh initiated the Sornai house of Music
(Sarang music school at first), as a music academy for Persian, Middle eastern
and classical music education. During the years the school has grown into the
only official educational centre for Iranian-Persian music in London.
Veria Amiri has been on many different TV shows and debates both as a musician
and a physicist.
He is also working with different ensembles and orchestras (Light of Music
orchestra, Sornai music ensemble, Dostan music ensemble and ...) as a Tar and
Setar player.
He has developed a unique method of education for Tar and Setar to non persian
speaking students. It’s an English methodology for tar and setar which is under
edit for publication.
He is currently working on philosophy of Science, philosophy of music and
science and music education.
