Album Notes

Hossein Omoumi & Ensemble: Voices of Spring (Avay-e Bahar)

Includes 10 Page booklet / Poems and Notes / English - Persian.

All tracks composed and arranged by Hossein Omoumi

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Music performed by


Hossein Omoumi, ney & vocal

Madjid Khaladj, tombak, dayreh, daf

Amir Koushkani, tar

Jessika Kenny, vocal

Naser Musa, oud

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Hossein Omoumi was born to an artistic family in Isfahan, home to many artists and musicians. His early music training began by singing with his father. At age 14, fascinated by the sounds of the ney (the reed flute), he began learning the works of Master Hassan Kassa'i.

In 1962 he entered the National University of Iran to study architecture, where he also entered many musical competitions. His ney playing caught the attention of the judges and with their recommendation he entered the National Conservatory of Music, studying music theory and vocal radif, the repertoire of classical Iranian music, with Master Mahmood Karimi. In 1969 he met Master Hassan Kassa'i and under his supervision, Hossein Omoumi began to study the ney in-depth.

In 1972, he received his doctorate in Architecture from the University of Florence. He then divided his time between teaching architecture and music; collaborating with the Iranian National Radio and Television and teaching ney at The Center for Preservation and Dissemination of Music, the National Conservatory, and the Tehran University.
He has been a visiting scholar at many distinguished universities such as UCLA's Department of Ethnomusicology, Wales University, and Sorbonne University at the Center for Oriental Music Studies in Paris. He now teaches in the Ethnomusicology department of the University of Washington in Seattle. Every year he performs to sold-out audiences at numerous prestigious international venues.
He has authored several scholarly articles in the field of music, focusing on the ney, and percussion instruments. His research on the making of the ney and percussive instruments introduced new possibilities and many significant innovations to the ney, tombak and daf.

There is no doubt that Hossein Omoumi is the most gifted of his generation. Highly knowledgeable about radif and the secrets of the Ney. His "alchemist" approach to music expresses fluidity and demonstrates accomplishment.