Ardeshir Kamkar (born November 19, 1962, in Sanandaj, Iran) is an Iranian composer and virtuoso performer of the kamancheh, gheychak, daf, and violin, and a prominent member of the renowned Kamkars Ensemble. Recognized as one of the leading kamancheh players of his generation, he has significantly expanded the technical and expressive possibilities of the instrument through innovative performance techniques and extensive collaborations with Iran’s foremost classical musicians.

Education and Musical Training

• Began studying the violin in childhood under the guidance of his father.
• Joined the Sanandaj Culture and Arts Orchestra as a violin and kamancheh player at an early age.
• Studied the Persian classical repertoire (Radif) with Mohammad-Reza Lotfi and Pashang Kamkar.
• Initially performed compositions by Abolhassan Saba on the kamancheh.

Activities and Works

• Relocated to Tehran in 1981, where he began collaborating with the Aref and Sheyda Ensembles.
• Worked with many of Iran’s leading vocalists, including Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, Homayoun Shajarian, Shahram Nazeri, Iraj Bastami, Sedigh Ta’rif, Hesamoddin Seraj, Hamid-Reza Nourbakhsh, Vahid Taj, and Naser Razazi.
• Played an active role in the influential Chavosh Cultural and Artistic Center, performing on numerous landmark recordings.
• Introduced advanced violin techniques—such as high-position fingering and harmonic playing—to the kamancheh, greatly expanding its expressive and technical range.
• Reinterpreted Abolhassan Saba’s violin repertoire for kamancheh and orchestra in the albums Be Yade Saba and Bar Tarek-e Sepideh.
• Performed Bar Tarek-e Sepideh, a concertino for kamancheh and orchestra, with the Tehran Symphony Orchestra and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra in Sweden.
• Has devoted a substantial part of his career to composition, arranging, and the education of young musicians.

Selected Works

• Bidad
• Bar Tarek-e Sepideh
• Be Yade Saba
• Nashkiba
• Yaghin-e Gomshodeh
• Raz-e Negah
• Zehi Eshgh
• Ofogh-e Mehr
• Concert 77
• Biaban-e Bi-Karan
• Iran Zamin
• Shoori Digar
• Bi Ghobar-e Adat
• Vaghti Nistim

Achievements and Awards

• Winner of the Best Iranian Music Album Award at the 31st Fajr International Music Festival (2015) for the album Yaghin-e Gomshodeh.
• Widely credited with transforming the artistic and technical language of the kamancheh through innovative performance practices.
• Regarded as one of Iran’s foremost contemporary kamancheh performers and an influential teacher whose work has inspired a new generation of musicians.