Reza Filsoofi
Reza Filsoofi is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and community advocate, born in Tehran, Iran. Filsoofi commenced his musical journey in Iran, under the tutelage of master musicians such as Zarrabian, Shoaari and Arash Farhangfar and under the supervision of the great master Naser Farhangfar. Filsoofi plays santoor and setar, along with principal percussive instruments such as daf and tonbak. Filsoofi has performed with masters such as Davood Azad, Faramarz Aslani, and Ardeshir Farah. His collaboration with Davood Azad in 2015 in the Asia Society and Museum in New York City and in the Sivanasda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas have been his milestone professional achievements. Since Filsoofi moved to the United Sates in 2001 he has been actively teaching and performing in different venues.
Filsoofi’s versatile musical styles combined with his expansive knowledge of different classical instruments, have given him opportunities to collaborate with artists and musicians in various projects such as World and Melody with Soheila Ghodstinat (Iranian actress and playwright); Roshana Nofret (American dancer and choreographer) in the Sephardic Music Project; Susana Behar (Cuban Singer) and Jose Louis De la Paz (Spanish composer and Flamenco Guitar Player), the Trio FEZ; the Middle-Eastern Music Performance with Joe Zeytounian (American-Armenian Musician) and Myriam Eli (Cuban Performer). In addition, he has been working as a musician, performer, and project manager for the large multimedia installations created by Raheleh Filsoofi (visual artist) during the past ten years. Their socially engaged practices as a visual artist and a musician have brought groups of people together from diverse cultural backgrounds.
He is the director of the Caravan Ensemble in Miami and the co-founder of NIRMA in Nashville. He has received support from the Global Education Center for a project serving the Middle Eastern community, as well as from the Tennessee Arts Commission and Metro Arts for workshops and performances that promote and advocate for immigrant and refugee communities in Nashville.
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Photo by Amir Aghareb
News and Upcoming events
Music Performance in Collaboration with Artist in Residence at Blair School of Music, February 15, 2026
The Resonance of the Land, Celebrating the Immigrant and Refugee Communities in Nashville, Frist Art Museum, March 22, 2026
Listening the Fourth String, Ismaili Center, Houston, TX, April 2026
Melodies of Crossing: An Immersive Night of Music Across Rooms, Curb Center, Nashville, TN, April 2026
NEA Art Works Grant Awarded (2025–2027)
The Resonance of the Lands, a collaborative project by Reza Filsoofi and Raheleh Filsoofi, has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Art Works grant for 2025–2027.
Over the next two years, the project will unfold through clay-drum workshops, community drum circles, and major performances in Nashville. Presented in collaboration with Vanderbilt University, the Frist Art Museum, and NICE, the project expands the dialogue between clay, sound, and community.