Santur and Daf Player | Music Instructor

Michka Yaghmaei is a Santur and Daf player as well as an experienced music instructor. She began her musical journey in 1991, learning the violin under Siamak Raoufi for two years. In 1993, she turned to Santur, studying with Tahmineh Haghgoo, and later, in 1995, she entered the Tehran Conservatory of Music, where she trained under Sosan Aslani (Dehlavi).

Education & Mentors:

Throughout her studies, she learned from renowned masters, including:

• Santur: Behnaz Zakery, Mina Oftadeh, Azar Hashemi, Kamyar Seyghali
• Percussion (Tombak & Daf): Mohammad Esmaeili
• Harmony: Mohsen Elhamian, the late Fereydoun Naseri
• Music Theory & Solfège: Sharif Lotfi, Mehrbanoo Tofigh
• Ensemble Performance: Hossein Dehlavi

She graduated from the Conservatory in 1999, then continued her studies at a Conservatory and later a Music University, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree.

Performance & Collaborations:

• At age 15, she joined the Delnavazi Ensemble, led by Mehrdad Delnavazi, performing alongside Mohammad Esmaeili, Hassan Nahid, Mohammad Maghdesi, and Saeed Sabet.
• With this group, she participated in international music festivals, performing in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Japan, Romania, and Portugal.
• In 1999, she joined the IRIB Women’s Orchestra, led by Chakavak Yaghmaei and later Dr. Azar Hashemi, performing on Daf and Dayereh. Over 50 recordings from this group were broadcast on radio and television, and she collaborated with them for 12 years.
• In 2021, she joined the Vaziri Women’s Ensemble, led by Keyvan Saket, as a Santur player.
• Later, she collaborated with Masoud Shatranji on four duets, blending electric guitar and Santur in his compositions and arrangements.

Teaching Experience:

Since joining the IRIB Orchestra, Michka has been actively teaching Santur and Daf at various prestigious music academies, including:

• Chakameh, Mehr Iran, Azadeh, Mahoor, Pars, Pars Plus, Yasnagah, Khoshnavaaz, and Nava-ye Mehr.​

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