Mehrnam Rastegari (IRAN/USA)

www.mehrnamrastegari.com

NYC-based Persian musician Mehrnam Rastegari is a master Kamancheh player, singer, violinist, and award-winning composer whose sound pushes Persian music into bold, modern directions. Her work threads Persian microtonal tradition through rock, psych, and contemporary styles, creating performances that feel deeply expressive.

Her international stage credits include the Bill Gates Goalkeepers 2024 event with Jon Batiste, WOMEX, GlobalFest, Pitchfork Music Festival, Le Guess Who?, United Nations Headquarters, Into the Great Wide Open, Secret Planet/APAP, Ragas Live Festival, Montana Folk Festival, Crossing Border, Mutations, and many more. She is featured on Jon Batiste’s Grammy-nominated “World Music Radio” album and appears on Livaneli’s album “Rumi Suite.”

UPCOMING SHOWS

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Rastegari completed a year-long residency with the Joe’s Pub for their Working Group program. She has composed scores for more than 10 films, earning “Best Original Score” at the Melbourne City Independent Film Awards and nominations at the Kadoma Festival in Japan. She has collaborated with the World Music Institute across performances, interviews, and podcasts; was invited as a guest speaker for TEDx “Oasis: Existence in Nothingness”; and has recorded for the Center for Traditional Music and Dance (CTMD); and contributed violin to the soundtrack of Assassin’s Creed. Mehrnam is also a selected instructor for Carnegie Hall and their Musical Explorers program, reflecting her commitment to cultural exchange and music education. Mehrnam mentors young musicians across Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and the United States, helping them navigate tradition, innovation, and the possibilities within microtonal and contemporary music. Recognized by leading Kamancheh masters internationally, she is also a GMW (Global Musicians Workshop) alumna, a member of the New York Arabic Orchestra. Through her performances and compositions, Rastegari is bringing the Kamancheh to places and in new directions and in new musical settings and she continues to show how Persian musical heritage can speak in unexpected ways—alive, rhythmic, and full of possibility.

In 2025, Mehrnam released ‘Dislocated Pulse’, her full-length psych rock, Middle Eastern album built around electrified Kamancheh, heavy grooves, and restless, shifting microtonal motifs.

Mehrnam leads several projects and live ensembles including:

The Mehrnam Rastegari Traditional Persian Band: featuring some of the finest traditional Persians musicians based in the USA as her accompaniment.

Senavazi: a Balkan–Persian trio performing arrangements of pieces from Persian, Kurdish, Balkan Turkish musical traditions. Featuring Kamancheh, clarinet, ney, saxophone, davul, and traditional percussion.

Chogan: her Middle Eastern psych-rock outfit known for its high-energy shows and original sound. Touring in support of her full-length album.