Niloofar Sohi is an Iranian musician who started her music career at the age of 8 and was enrolled in music school by the age of 12. She plays the Viola and has studied with great teachers of Iranian and American backgrounds, such as Korey Konkol, Setareh Beheshti, and Taha Abedian. She ranked first among all students while studying music and performance at Tehran University. She also distinguished as an Elite student in National Elite Foundation and won the first award of the University to continue her studies for a master’s degree in Performing Arts. Niloofar is now studying DMA viola performance at the University of Minnesota.

Niloofar has the experience of working with various American and Iranian orchestras. She has been part of international projects such as Le Vie Dell’Amicizia Ravenna-Tehran with Riccardo Muti (Italy), Internava Ensembles (Europe and Iran), and FeminEast festivals’ concerts (Sweden). She is a former violist of the Shahrzad Ensemble, and she has worked with great Iranian musicians such as Homayoun Shajarian, Pournazeri Brothers, and Houshyar Khayam.

She is also an award winner of the National Youth Music Festival and Fajr festivals and has performed in many concerts in Asia, Europe, and The United States.

Niloofar has also recorded different CD’s such as “The Other Side” by Houshyar Khayam, “Unspoken Grievances” by Amin Honarmand; and worked with numerous composers for recording projects like Peyman Yazdanian, Bardia Kiaras, and conductors, Shahrdad Rohani, Nasir Heydarian, Riccardo Muti and Mark Stevenson, Mark Russel Smith, and Osmo Vänskä.

Dr. Kimia Hesabi is a violist and teaching artist based in the Washington D.C area. An active chamber musician, Ms. Hesabi is the founder of Yasna Ensemble. This ensemble performs contemporary compositions and arrangements that are inspired by Middle Eastern classical and folk music. In her DMA dissertation project, “Viola from Iran: Continuing and Expanding the Trajectory of a Rich Cultural History,” Ms. Hesabi has performed, researched, and recorded an album of several commissioned and premiered works for viola by Iranian composers. In addition to performing, Ms. Hesabi is an active teacher and clinician in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and is currently on the string faculty at the International School of Music in Bethesda, Maryland. Recent clinics include a workshop, masterclass and performance on Iranian contemporary music at the American University, Katzen Art Center. She is also a co-founder of LyreIran, a collaborative focusing on promoting strings related performance and education content. As a leadership team member of District New Music Coalition, Ms. Hesabi will work with DNMC to promote the performance and appreciation of contemporary music by connecting performers, composers, institutions, and audiences located in the Washington, D.C area through concerts, conferences, and active community building. Ms. Hesabi is the recipient of the prestigious Thomas Fellowship from the University of Tennessee and the Dean’s Fellowship for Academic Excellence from the University of Maryland. Dr. Hesabi will present a lecture recital at the upcoming American Viola Society Festival, in June 2021.

Saba Yousefi is a Violinist and pedagogue based in Toronto - Canada. Ms. Yousefi graduated from the University of Toronto, where she received both her Master of Violin Performance and Bachelor of Violin Performance with a minor in Philosophy. Ms. Yousefi started playing violin at the age of seven in Tehran-Iran. She has participated in several competitions and received the first prize in Iran’s classical music competition for both solo and chamber music performances. Ms. Yousefi is also a member of the University of Toronto Pedagogy School. Over the last few years, she has continued to research new methods for professional musicians to overcome physical injuries and develop innovative mental health methods. Ms. Yousefi is also a Co-founder of LyreIran, a collaborative focusing on promoting strings-related performance and education content. Ms. Yousefi is the recipient of the University of Toronto Graduate Scholarship for Academic Excellence. Ms. Yousefi is an active performer and teaching artist, her recent collaboration with Music Master Class Iran was a workshop for Iranian composers in Iran, the virtual performance of Iranian Women Composers of Iran. Ms. Yousefi is a member of the Ontario Philharmonic and has performed both as a solo and chamber musician around Canada, the middle east, and China.