“Santur, harp, and tabla as you've never heard them before.”
Amir Amiri on santur, Sarah Pagé on harp, and Shawn Mativetsky on tabla form the trio MATIVETSKY AMIRI & PAGE, tasked with developing a new form of chamber music that is reflective of today's global society, uniting a myriad of traditions and practices. Musical adventurers, explorers, innovators, virtuosi, their collective creations combine tradition and modernity, emotion and spontaneity; a dynamic coming together of santur, harp, and tabla unlike anything you've heard before.
Amir Amiri was born in Tehran, Iran where much of his youth was spent studying the santur, a 72-string hammered dulcimer that lies at the heart of Persian classical music. Classically trained, Amiri has always sought to explore the limits of his music, stretching beyond the constraints of classical thought. Amiri has worked extensively as a performer, composer, musical director and consultant for numerous Canadian dance and theatre companies, orchestras, concert series, and has considerable experience in film and television. While continuously exploring the limits of his music, Amir keeps coming back to the conclusion that there are none.
To encapsulate the career of Montreal-based harpist Sarah Pagé, one would have to draw long, constellation-like shapes across genres, borders and histories. While perhaps best known as a founding and longtime member of roots rockers The Barr Brothers, a brief consideration of her resume reveals the fact that she’s equally at home within traditions as without them. Her first solo LP, Dose Curves, affirms this versatility and reveals Pagé as one of Canada’s most accomplished experimentalists.
Dynamic performer Shawn Mativetsky is considered one of Canada's leading ambassadors of the tabla, pushing the boundaries of tradition. Called an “exceptional soloist” by critic Réjean Beaucage, WholeNote's Andrew Timar adds that “as a leading disciple of the renowned Pandit Sharda Sahai, he has serious street cred.” Acclaimed as both a soloist and ensemble musician, from traditional to contemporary music, and everything in between, he has performed in venues around the world. Shawn's recent solo album, Rivers, is rooted in the rich traditions of the Benares style of tabla playing.