A celebrated Iranian composer and musician whose catalog dates back to the late ’70s, Hossein Alizadeh is one of the most important figures in contemporary Persian music. ∙ After completing his studies, Alizadeh began his career with the Iranian National Orchestra, and he later became the conductor the National Orchestra of Radio and Television of Iran. ∙ He’s contributed to dozens of films and TV series, and his work on 1995’s Gabbeh earned him the first of his many Best Soundtrack honors from Iran’s Fajr International Film Festival. ∙ In 2000, he formed Masters of Persian Music, a classical supergroup assembled with the specific intention of touring Europe and North America. ∙ Without You (2002) and The Cry (2003), both earned Grammy nominations for Best Traditional World Music Album. ∙ Alizadeh received a third Grammy nomination for Endless Vision, his 2006 collaborative album with Armenian duduk master Djivan Gasparyan. ∙ A master of several stringed Persian and Azeri instruments, he also oversaw the development of two brand-new instruments: the sallaneh and the shurangiz.