Shamim Jafari is a tanbur player and teacher from Rasht and one of the active tanbur figures in Gilan. She is counted among the women of the new generation of tanbur players in Iran — a generation that has turned to maqam music in recent years through steady training and study with well-known masters.
Life and first encounter with the tanbur
Shamim Jafari was born on 6 October 1999 (14 Mehr 1378 SH) in Rasht. She first encountered the tanbur in 2018 on a short trip to Sahneh in Kermanshah province — a journey that, according to her profile, changed the course of her artistic life and connected her to the world of Iran’s maqam music.
Teachers
After this first encounter she began practising remotely and then continued with several masters of the tanbur and setar. The most important names on her path are:
Masoud Shoari
Studying with these teachers became a turning point in shaping her artistic identity.
The Okhan ensemble
Together with several young musicians from Rasht, Jafari founded the Okhan ensemble, which has left a number of maqam performances.
Teaching
She now teaches tanbur in Rasht and, beyond in-person classes, runs online courses for students across Iran and abroad. Her teaching puts three things first:
understanding the roots of maqam music;
correct playing technique;
passing on the mood and spirituality of the tanbur.
For course information and lessons she can be reached on Instagram or Telegram.
Artistic outlook
Shamim Jafari regards maqam music as an inseparable part of Iranian cultural identity and seeks to keep this old heritage alive through teaching and performance. Alongside players such as Shirin Mohammadi and Parastoo Panahi, she is counted among the influential women of the tanbur in Iran.
Source: her profile on tanbur-music.ir.