Fariborz Azizi

Fariborz Azizi is a Los Angeles-based Tar and Setar player, composer, music educator and researcher.

Born in Tehran, Iran, in 1961, Azizi has studied under the tutelage of some of the most highly acclaimed masters of Persian classical music, including Hossein Alizadeh, Mohammad Reza Lotfi, Dariush Talai, Arshad Tahmasbi, Massoud Shaari and Hamid Motebassem.

In a career spanning over three decades, Azizi has been recognized as one of the most influential music educators of our time. He has instructed and mentored hundreds of students of varying ages and nationalities on the tar and setar, privately and in classroom settings, at Art University in Karaj, University of Applied Sciences and Technology in Tehran, Tehran Music Conservatory, Mazandaran Academy of Arts and Persian Music Center in Los Angeles. 

Azizi believes that to be truly accomplished, a musician must not only master the melodies, rhythms and techniques that comprise the musical repertoire under study but also value the music as an embodiment and representation of a culture. Thus, he urges his students to go beyond learning the fundamentals of Persian classical music and the Radif and become more familiar with ancient and contemporary Iranian art history and poetry as well as the diverse styles used in regional Persian music. Utilizing this holistic approach to music education in conjunction with recognizing each student’s abilities and goals, Azizi has been able to train some of the most prominent young musicians inside and outside of Iran.