Kiya Tabassian

Kiya Tabassian was born in 1976, in Tehran, Iran, immigrating to Montreal in 1990. He has been trained in Persian music under Reza Ghasemi and Kayhan Kalhor. He studied musical composition at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal with Gilles Tremblay.
In 1998, he co-founded Constantinople a Montreal based ensemble which has earned an international reputation for its unique juxtaposition of early musical sources and the living traditions of the Middle East. He has released over 15 CDs for different labels and has created with Constantinople over 35 original programs performing them at some of the most prestigious festivals and venues around the globe.
Kiya was involved in the international MediMuses research project on the history and repertoire of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern music lands in several publishing and recording projects. Numerous musical groups and institutions have called upon his talents as a composer, including Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne and the EU Radio-Television. From 2005 to 2011, he has been a member of the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Chairman of the Music Committee during three years. His artistic researches and creations receive the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.