About Ansoo
Ansoo /آنسو/ in Farsi literally means “that side” or “that which is beyond.”
In Persian mystical poetry, Ansoo points to a path towards the hidden truth of everything.
On this path, we see music as a powerful vehicle — a music that connects us to our inner world, our shared roots, and to life itself.
At Ansoo Music, our work flows through three main streams:
- Learning: Offering online courses in setar and tar for international students, intensive group music workshops and camps, and soon immersive tutorial residencies in a traditional rural house near the Hyrcanian forests in the northeast of Iran.
- Creating and performing: Concerts and original projects shaped by the language of Persian music and inspired by the broader cultural landscape of Iran and its neighbors.
- Tune of Reunion: Hosted by Ansoo Music, these concert-and-conversation gatherings bring together musicians from diverse genres, opening spaces to listen, reflect, and share.
We invite you to join us on this journey of learning, creating, and performing —
an exploration where tradition meets creativity, and where every note is a step towards Ansoo.
The Story of Ansoo
Ansoo first began as the name of a small world-music ensemble, founded in the summer of 2014. The group’s first project, The Closest Planet, was co-composed by Hossein Vali and the late pianist Kaveh Salehi. Written for piano and Shurangiz, it grew out of a search for a shared language between Persian classical music, regional folk traditions, and Western classical forms.
Before long, Ansoo also stepped into music education through the Ansoo Music Camps — immersive journeys that bring together musical practice, listening, dialogue, and community in natural and local settings.
Another important project is Tune of Reunion, a monthly concert-talk series held in Tehran, bringing together live performances and open conversations around music.
The Creators
Sara Zandvakili, born in 1980 in Tehran, has followed a winding path of studies and professions, often across very different fields. She first trained and worked as a dentist, though all along she felt drawn to the arts. Eventually, she left dentistry behind to follow that calling. Later, she returned to academia to pursue an MA in Photography at the College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, and taught there for a period after graduation.
After meeting Hossein, their shared interest in learning and practicing music through journeys and camps brought new life to their artistic collaboration. Since Ansoo already existed as a music ensemble, their joint projects naturally grew under its wing and expanded into broader musical explorations.
Within Ansoo, Sara is the documentarian and storyteller of its projects and also manages its social media presence. At the same time, She is a practitioner of Persian vocal traditions as her main discipline, while also exploring and practicing folk singing from Iran and neighboring regions, including Central Asia, Anatolia, and the Balkans.
