Mehrnoosh Zolfaghari is a professional musician, composer, and Santoor player based in Finland. Although she is a multi-instrumentalist, her principal instrument is the Santoor, a traditional Persian instrument capable of playing numerous folk modes and ‘Dastgâhs.’ She has been playing the Santoor for over 20 years and teaching it for more than 10 years. One of the most significant milestones in Mehrnoosh’s musical journey is her current pursuit of a second master’s degree at the Sibelius Academy in Finland. This endeavor not only reflects her commitment to continuous learning but also underscores her dedication to advancing her musical expertise.
Her artistic aim is to introduce Iranian music to the world. Mehrnoosh enjoys blending traditional sounds with contemporary influences. Additionally, she is interested in global music and has worked on several projects.
Mehrnoosh earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance from the University of Tehran, College of Fine Arts, Iran, where she graduated as the class valedictorian. While her focus used to be on Persian traditional music for many years, modern contemporary music has also become one of her primary areas of interest in recent years. This has led to several projects and compositions that merge electronic sounds with the Santoor.
In addition to collaborating with several outstanding professors around the world, including Joachim Heintz, Bijan Kamkar, Nathan Thomson, Sergio Castrillon, Matthias Bauer, and others, she has been honored with numerous prestigious national and international awards in both contemporary and traditional music. These include the Gilgamesh International Composition Competition in the USA, Reza Korourian’s Composition Competition, and the first round of the Aref National Award in Iran. Moreover, she has compiled an extensive list of publications, including albums, singles, and books during her musical journey.