President:
Faraz Minooei
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
Secretery:
Saeid Bashash
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.
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.
Behfar Razavi
is a technology entrepreneur and an avid Persian music enthusiast. He is CEO and co-founder of Slooce Technology, a mobile messaging solutions provider. He plays the ney (Persian reed flute) as part of the Bay Area Persian Music Ensemble, where he’s also the secretary of the 501c3 organization. And as president of the Iranian Stanford Alumni
Association he leads a biweekly Persian music appreciation workshop. Behfar holds a BS in Computer Science and an MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Hamed Yousefi
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.
Mahsa Farhang
is a school psychologist at Bayview Elementary School whose artistic journey began at the age of nine in Isfahan, where she participated in numerous ensemble performances. After immigrating to the United States in 2013 and stepping away from music for several years, her passion for rhythm and expression was rekindled in 2018. She has continued to develop her artistry under the guidance of acclaimed Tonbak player Maestro Jafar Ghazi Asghar.
For Mahsa, music is a sanctuary for the soul — a meditative and spiritual language that unites hearts and brings people closer to the divine. In 2024, she joined the Bay Area Persian Music Ensemble, continuing to share her devotion to the healing and unifying power of Persian music.
Behdad Fariba
is a retired software engineer and started his musical journey at the age of 26 under Maestro Fariborz Azizi playing Tar since then. He has been a member of the Bay Area Persian Music Ensemble since 2021 and has accompanied the ensemble by playing Tar.