President:
Faraz Minooei
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born in Tehran, began playing the santur at age nine. He earned his B.A. in World/Jazz music from San Francisco State University, where he was the first to major with santur as his primary instrument. A dedicated performer, composer, and teacher, Faraz has studied with renowned masters and lectured at universities like Stanford and UCLA. He has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma in the Silk Road Ensemble and with film director Bahram Beyzaie. Faraz holds an MFA in music from UC Irvine and is the founder of the Bay Area Persian Music Ensemble and co-founder of CSharp-Int.
Directors
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Secretery:
Behfar Razavi
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Treasurer:
Neema Zadeh
earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and currently
serves as a Technical Program Manager at Google. With a deep passion for music, particularly Persian classical music, Neema has been a Kamanche (Persian spike fiddle) player and a founding member of the Bay Area Persian Music Ensemble since 2020. He has contributed his talent and dedication to enhancing the cultural vibrancy of the community.​​​
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Saeid Bashash
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is a mechanical engineer and a music enthusiast. He has been a member of the Bay Area Persian Music Ensemble since its formation in 2020, and has accompanied the ensemble by playing Santur, the Persian hammer dulcimer. He enjoys playing different musical
instruments and exploring world music.
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Hamed Yousefi
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earned his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Michigan. He currently serves as a Tech Lead at Aryaka Networks. With a deep passion for music, particularly Avaz—the classical vocal style of Iran—Hamed has been a leading vocalist with the Bay Area Persian Music Ensemble since 2022, contributing his talent and dedication to the community's cultural vibrancy.
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Farin Foroudi
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Soroush Foroudi
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