3rd
Iranian Music Festival:
TOGETHER
6 - 8 March 2026
Leichhardt Town Hall
3rd IMFA
The Third Festival takes place from 6 to 8 March, presenting seven performances across three days.
This year’s festival is artist-led and volunteer-driven, focused on supporting Iranian-Australian artists creating original music across a wide range of practices. The program spans traditional forms, contemporary composition, experimental approaches, and cross-genre work, reflecting the diversity of Iranian musical expression in Australia today.
In 2026, the festival introduces a new stream, Neighbours, which explores shared musical histories across the region. Through this stream, the festival invites audiences to listen across long-standing cultural connections, engaging with both similarity and difference. As part of this initiative, the festival welcomes the Zela Margossian Quintet, bringing Armenian music into dialogue with Iranian traditions.
The Iranian Music Festival continues as a platform for listening, exchange, and artistic development, shaped by the artists who lead it and the context in which it takes place.
In light of the ongoing and devastating events in Iran, we acknowledge the profound impact this is having within our community. The courage of the Iranian people who are seeking freedom has compelled us to reflect deeply on how we move forward with the 3rd Iranian Music Festival Australia (IMFA).
We have been reflecting on the role of cultural and artistic practice, and on what it means to continue artistic work while remaining attentive to what is unfolding around us.
After extensive consultation with participating artists, the 3rd Iranian music festival will be held in recognition of music as a way of gathering, listening, and remaining connected at a time when connection itself carries weight.
As an independent, artist-led festival, we want you to know that we are committed to creating a safe, respectful, and creative environment rooted in our musical heritage. We believe this work is stronger, more meaningful, and more honest when it is done TOGETHER.
The 3rd IMFA Program
6 - 8 March
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Friday, 6 March 2026 | 7:00–8:00 pm
#PersianJazz
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Eishan Ensemble returns in 2026 with a powerful national tour celebrating their 10th anniversary. Led by Iranian-Australian tar virtuoso and composer Hamed Sadeghi, the ARIA-nominated ensemble weaves Persian classical music with contemporary jazz and cinematic improvisation, creating a sound both deeply rooted and boldly modern.
Joined by Michael Avgenicos (saxophone), Adem Yilmaz (percussion), and Maximillian Alduca (double bass), Eishan Ensemble has developed a distinctive and emotive musical language shaped by the diverse backgrounds and artistry of its members.
Over the past decade, the ensemble has toured extensively throughout Australia, Europe, and Asia, performing to acclaim at major venues and festivals including the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre, Auckland Arts Festival, WOMADelaide, Barcelona BAM, London Jazz Festival, Rome Jazz Festival, the Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne International Jazz Festivals, Sydney Festival, Brisbane Festival, and many more.
This special anniversary tour offers audiences an intimate, moving, and globally resonant musical experience.
Performers
Hamed Sadeghi — Tar
Michael Avgenicos — Saxophone
Adem Yilmaz — Percussion
Maximillian Alduca — Double Bass
Friday, 6 March 2026 | 9:00–10:00 pm
#ArmenianJazz
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"This if freshly minted contemporary jazz bursting with panache"- All About Jazz
Featuring a diverse line-up of some of Sydney's finest musicians, the ARIA-nominated Zela Margossian Quintet will delight the audience at the Iranian Music Festival with original works and arrangements carrying influences from Armenian traditional music, melded with jazz and classical roots. The set will also include tunes which are cross-cultural and well known between the two cultures: Iranian and Armenian.
“…the result is this exemplary album that is simultaneously heartfelt, authentic, and wholly absorbing. This is music that can be returned to again and again, each time revealing a little more of itself with its abundance of inner detail” - JazzWise
Performers
Zela Margossian — Piano
Stuart Vandegraaff — Saxophones, Clarinet
Alexander Inman-Hislop — Drum Kit
Adem Yilmaz — Percussion
Jacques Emery — Double Bass
Saturday, 7 March 2026 | 4:00–5:00 pm
#Tanbur #PersianMaqam
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Sama is an Iranian music group focused on the Tanbur, one of the traditional Iranian instruments. The group’s main goal is to explore Iranian music whilealso creating connections with other musical traditions.
In the first part of the performance, Sama plays classical and traditional Iranian music, highlighting the rhythms, melodies, and spiritual aspects of the heritage. In the second part, the group moves into a fusion approach, combining Iranian sounds with instruments from other cultures, including the Mongolian Yatka.
This performance shows both the beauty of Iranian music and its ability to interact with other musical styles. Sama wants to share music that respects tradition but is also open to new ideas, giving audiences a chance to enjoy familiar sounds alongside fresh and creative combinations.
Through this balance, the group hopes to create a performance that feels both rooted in tradition and alive with cultural dialogue.Performers
Mahya Panahi — Tanbur
Amirsalar Makhzani — Daf
Farhad Bozorgzadeh — Vocals
Saturday, 7 March 2026 | 7:00–8:00 pm
#ClassicalPersianRadif #Traditional
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Dela Ensemble is a group of nine musicians and one creative producer who have been playing together and creating art events since 2015. At its heart, the ensemble is rooted in classical Persian radif and vocal traditions.
Far from Iran, Persian poetry and Iranian music have become our closest companions. In our upcoming performance and IMFA, we’ll explore the Shur and Homayun modal systems, presenting a traditional program including Pishdaramad, vocal improvisation, a Tasnif, and a closing Reng.
Performers
Aran Dekar — Ensemble Lead; Tar, Setar
Mehdi Mansouri — Oud, Setar
Sina Arbabzadeh — Santur
Ramin Etemadzadeh — Vocals (Āvāz)
Ali Tahamtan — Cello
Amir Ghadiri — Violin
Sina Bastami — Kamancheh
Ashkan Ghaffari — Tonbak
Amirsalar Makhzani — Daf, Dayereh
Sunday, 8 March 2026 | 1:00–2:00 pm
#CrossCultural #PersianJazz #Japanese
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A compelling meeting of Jazz, Japanese and Iranian music, featuring four innovative musicians, as they celebrate friendship and the magical power of spontaneous musical dialogue.
This rare and engrossing ensemble doesn’t merely play music; they conjure an atmosphere where cultures intertwine, and improvisation becomes a shared language that bridges the terrestrial and the celestial.
Sandy shares her excitement about the project, highlighting the unique qualities of these musicians: "Their inventiveness, musicality, sensitivity, responsiveness, and depth of sound and feeling open doors to magical musical places... One note...can bring a complete sense of peace and calm - or a dark mystery - or a ray of sunshine."
Satsuki Odamura, whose mastery of the Koto and Shamisen transforms these traditional Japanese instruments into vessels of contemporary expression. Her notes ripple like water across a still pond, creating psychedelic swirls of sound.
Vocalist and percussion virtuoso, Sohrab Kolahdooz brings the resonant depth of his Tonbak (an Iranian goblet drum) and Hang drum - calling on ancient rhythms and modern meters - together into a tapestry of percussive prowess.
Steve Elphick, a luminary of Australian improvised music, anchors the ensemble with his acoustic bass. His lines moving like roots through soil—steady, nourishing, and vital to the collective sound.
Completing the quartet is saxophonist Sandy Evans, whose creative output and leadership over her 40 year career has had an unparalleled impact on the Australian jazz scene. Her improvisations feel like stories unfolding in the moment—constantly evolving with originality and luminosity.
Their performances promise more than a concert. It is an invocation of the human spirit—a space of freedom, where tradition and innovation dance together in harmony.
Performers
Sandy Evans — Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone
Satsuki Odamura — Koto, Bass Koto
Steve Elphick — Double Bass
Sohrab Kolahdooz — Tonbak, Percussion, Voice
Sunday, 8 March 2026 | 4:00–5:00 pm
#PersianJazz
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The Hamburg-based guitarist and composer Pouya Abdi is an active presence in the jazz scene in Hamburg and throughout northern Germany, leading a wide range of ensembles. He is touring Australia for the second time, having previously performed there in March 2025.
Known for his distinctively clear tone and an improvisational language that moves between rawness and lyricism, Abdi has collaborated with Hamburg Jazz Award recipients Dirk Dhonau and Gabriel Coburger, as well as other influential voices in the German jazz scene, including pianist and singer Sophia Oster and the internationally renowned NDR Bigband.
His music draws from a broad spectrum of influences, including jazz traditions, blues, Brazilian music, and folk elements. Iranian artists such as Kourosh Yaghmaei, Rashid Beibutov, and Mohammad Reza Shajarian were part of his early listening, contributing to an open and diverse musical vocabulary rather than a single stylistic lineage.
Abdi’s music brings together diverse influences in a contemporary jazz language that is both expressive and deeply personal.Performers
Pouya Abdi — Guitar
Danica Hobden — Guitar
Alex Inman-Hislop — drums
Sabine Tapia — bass
Sunday, 8 March 2026 | 7:00–8:00 pm
#PersianMinimalism
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CozyMinimal is a Sydney-based ensemble formed in 2022, exploring the meeting point between Persian melodic traditions and minimal music. Since their debut at Glebe Town Hall with Masoud Mosallanezhad, the group has become a regular presence at the Iranian Music Festival and related platforms, collaborating across genres and communities.
This performance marks the official live launch of CozyMinimal’s debut album, presented as part of the festival. The concert brings together new works developed by the ensemble, shaped by repetition, gradual transformation, and sustained focus.
Drawing on the legacy of 1960s minimalism and Iranian practices such as Khayyam Khani, CozyMinimal creates immersive listening experiences where sound unfolds slowly and meaning emerges through duration and repetition.
Performers
Shervin Mirzeinali — Artistic Director, Piano
Ehsan Kachooei — Setar
Ali Yarmohammadi — Tar
Arman Gouniaei — Tombak
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Frequently Asked Question
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The Iranian Music Festival Australia takes place from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 March 2026 at Leichhardt Town Hall, Sydney.
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If the event does not sell out online, a limited number of tickets may be available at the door. Follow our social media for real-time updates.
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The festival is open to all ages; it is best suited to ages 7 and above. The program is designed as a focused listening experience, and younger children may find the length and atmosphere challenging.
We kindly ask parents and carers to consider the nature of the performances when attending with children, to help maintain a respectful and immersive environment for artists and audiences.
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Yes. Leichhardt Town Hall is wheelchair accessible, with step-free entry and accessible restroom facilities. Accessible seating can be arranged—please contact us ahead of time if you have specific access requirements so we can assist.
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Yes. There is ample parking behind Leichhardt Town Hall, as well as street parking available in the surrounding area. We recommend allowing extra time during peak hours.
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Tickets are non-refundable except in the case of event cancellation or significant rescheduling. Full refund details are outlined in our ticketing terms & conditions.