Three Iranian musicians from three different walks of life calling Minneapolis home.

Band Members:
Aida Shahghasemi - Voice
Niloofar Sohi - Viola
Niyayesh Shababi - Guitar

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Aida Shahghasemi is a Minneapolis-based musician with roots in Iran. She studied psychology and anthropology at University of Minnesota with a focus on the cultural aspects of Persian classical music and the restrictions imposed on the voices of Iranian female vocalists. She received her master’s degree in arts politics from New York University, where she also taught a course she developed on arts activism in Iran. She has been a touring member of Iron & Wine and Marketa Irglova’s bands and sang on two of Glen Hansard’s albums. Her three albums are Wind Between the Horse’s Ears (2015), Cypress of Abarkooh (2019), and Chashmandaaze Rooydaad (2022). Shahghasemi is a McKnight Music Fellow and serves as an adjunct faculty in the MFA program at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She is a mental health therapist at Hiraeth Psychotherapy and works primarily with adults and couples dealing with trauma.

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Niloofar Sohi is an Iranian violist and educator based in Minneapolis, where she serves as the director of string sales at Schmitt Music Company. A Doctor of Musical Arts in Viola Performance candidate at the University of Minnesota, she currently holds principal positions with the Mississippi Valley Orchestra and the Mankato Symphony Orchestra.

A major highlight of Sohi’s career was performing in the Le Vie Dell’Amicizia (The Roads of Friendship) project under the baton of maestro Riccardo Muti. This historic collaboration brought together Italian and Iranian musicians for performances of Verdi’s Requiem in both Tehran and the Ravenna Festival in Italy. She also completed an extensive U.S. tour with the renowned Homayoun Shajarian, performing at premier venues such as Carnegie Hall, Dallas Symphony Hall, and Chicago Symphony Hall.

Sohi’s orchestral background includes experience with the Minnesota Orchestra, South Dakota Symphony, and Tehran Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, she gave the U.S. premiere of Ruth Gipps’ Jane Grey Fantasy and was featured on Minnesota Public Radio performing From the Other Land. Her discography features recordings of works by contemporary Iranian composers, including The Other Side by Houshyar Khayam and Unspoken Grievances by Amin Honarmand. Sohi frequently serves as a clinician and judge for the American Viola Society and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies.

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Niyayesh Shababi is a versatile guitarist, composer, improviser, and producer with 10 years of classical training. A music education major, he aspires to perform and compose professionally, blending classical foundations with contemporary music, jazz, free improvisation, ambient, and Iranian folk music to create a distinctive fusion sound. As the founder of "23," a project dedicated to pushing the boundaries of musical expression, Shababi has delivered notable performances in Tehran and continues to explore the space where tradition and innovation converge.