Convergence: A concert series by Hamed Sadeghi

Multi-award-winning tar player and composer, Hamed Sadeghi, presents the Convergence concert series. The series of three acts featuring renowned and emerging musicians will take place at the stage of the Paddington Uniting Church on 24, 30, and 31 October.

Across three nights, audiences will journey with Sadeghi as he guides the tar by shifting musical landscapes from its dialogue with a string trio, to the drunkening depth of Persian classical, and finally into an intimate improvised duo with piano.

Convergence is the title of Hamed Sadeghi’s new composition supported by Creative Australia and Create NSW which will be recorded later this year by ABC Classic for broadcast and digital commercial release. The concert series aims to convey a deconstructed yet detailed performance of the composition’s roots and components in three acts.

Standing individually, all three acts make up a clearer image of Sadeghi’s musical universe and enthusiasts are encouraged to experience all three acts to be embraced by the voyage Sadeghi leads.

Convergence 1: Classical Exploration
Friday, 24 October 

The first night of the series brings together Freya Schack-Arnott (cello), Beth Condon (viola), James Tarbotton (violin), Aida Manouchehr Pour (soprano), and percussionist Sohrab Kolahdooz. With Sadeghi’s tar at the centre, this marks his first composition written for a string trio.

Convergence 2: Persian Traditional 
Thursday, 30 October 

Second night takes listeners in the delicate and rapturous energy of Persian classical music, with emerging Persian musicians Ramin Etemadzadeh (vocals), Sina Bastami (kamancheh), and Amir Salar Makhzani (percussion).

Convergence 3: Improvisation Duo
Friday, 31 October 

The third night closes with an unmissable collaboration between Sadeghi and legendary pianist Mike Nock, in an improvised duo. A long waiting duo that becomes the meeting point of two musical traditions.

About Hamed Sadeghi
Born in Iran and now based on Gadigal land (Sydney), Hamed Sadeghi is a multi-award-winning Persian-Australian tar player and composer. Known for his seamless fusion of Persian classical music with Western contemporary and jazz traditions, Sadeghi’s work reflects his cultural heritage and innovative musical vision shaped by his training in Tehran as a Persian classical musician.

Sadeghi leads and collaborates on a variety of projects, including regular solo tar performances that showcase his technical mastery of the distinctive stringed instrument. His compositions are marked by intricate melodic and rhythmic ideas, and praised for their ability to bridge musical traditions while maintaining a clear sonic intention. His work exemplifies the power of cross-cultural musical dialogue.

As the founder and lead composer of Eishan Ensemble, Sadeghi has released three critically acclaimed albums and toured extensively across Australia, Asia, and Europe. Eishan Ensemble’s fusion of Persian chamber music and contemporary jazz has positioned the group as a leading voice in world music. The ensemble has performed at renowned venues and festivals, including the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre, WOMADelaide, Auckland Arts Festival, and Rome Jazz Festival.

Sadeghi is a member of Vazesh, a long-form improvising trio featuring Lloyd Swanton (The Necks) and Jeremy Rose (Earshift Music). The group is inspired by the Persian Radif and spiritual jazz. Their performances are influenced simultaneously by the vibe, audience, venue and elements around it.

His orchestral project, Empty Voices, features prominent Australian jazz luminaries such as Sandy Evans, Paul Cutlan, and Lloyd Swanton, alongside Michael and Thomas Avgenicos and Adem Yilmaz. Supported by Create NSW and the APRA AMCOS Art Music Fund, the project recorded and album intended to define a new form of beauty and present a forgotten love through music