The New Setar

TE/HGH, "Iran's Hafez Nazeri unveils new Setar" - Press TV - Tehran, Iran
Friday, May 1, 2009

Iranian musician Hafez Nazeri has unveiled his new Persian string instrument which is believed to be a developed form of the Setar.

“The new Setar is easier to tune, and has a larger body and two more strings that give it additional sound volume,” Nazeri told a press conference in Tehran.

“I did not want to create a thoroughly new instrument, because I believe Persian music only needs to be developed and all we have to do is to perfect our traditional instruments,” he added.

Nazeri registered the design for his new instrument, called Hafez, in the US in 2000 and claims to have designed 20 new instruments so far. Hafez has been made by Majid and Saeed Safari, who according to Nazeri have worked on it every day for the past year.

Son of prominent vocalist and musician Shahram Nazeri, Hafez has been playing Tambour, Setar and Daf since young. Hafez has accompanied his father in numerous international music festivals and has performed in many others, including Belgium's Sfinks, Italy's Festa del Popolo, France's Theatre de la Ville and Lebanon's Beiteddine festivals.

He has also received a UCLA creativity award for most distinguished young composer and the Irvine City Hall Award of Distinction in Kurdish music for his contributions to spreading through music mystic Persian poet Mowlavi's spiritual message of peace.

San Diego County named February 25, 2006 the 'Hafez Nazeri Day' and he has been invited to lecture at Emory University and Harvard where he was honored for his efforts and innovations in Persian music.

Hafez Nazeri has also received a recognition award from the US Congress.