Kiya Tabassian

  Festival Accès Asie is a Montréal-based multidisciplinary festival, founded in 1995, that showcases and celebrates Asian arts, cultures, and stories through diverse artistic programming and community engagement. 9e Musique@17hVoixMonde and Concerts Garage are principally offered to immigrants who are professional musicians. The aim is to help outstanding artists introduce their culture of origin, and work with local artists in a spirit of diversity and inclusion. 23% of the Canadian population are immigrants. Concerts Garage focuses on the Plateau-Mont-Royal, “the most densely populated district in Canada,” recognized internationally as a major artistic center with a large concentration of artists, musicians and arts organizations. Ziya began his musical journey at the age of ten in Iran, where he immersed himself in the study of the tombak. After moving to Quebec, he pursued classical Western percussion studies with Julien Grégoire from 1994 to 2001 and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Performance from the Université de Montréal. A pivotal moment in Ziya’s artistic development occurred during an artistic residency at the Banff Centre in 2003, where he explored Iranian percussion within a contemporary context—an approach that continues to shape Ziya’s distinctive musical voice. Ziya’s artistic quest has led him to advanced training with renowned masters including Bahman Rajabi, Aziz Alami, Trichy Sankaran, Mısırli Ahmet, Shree Sundarkumar, and Yogesh Samsi. Driven by boundless musical curiosity, Tabassian has established himself as a distinctive figure at the crossroads of early music (medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque), contemporary music, and world music traditions. A sought-after percussionist, he collaborates with numerous ensembles and artists, notably Ensemble Caprice. Ziya’s performances have taken him to stages in more than 40 countries, appearing at international festivals and prestigious concert halls. Supported by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Canada Council for the Arts, he has also contributed to recordings with artists such as the Kronos Quartet, Kayhan Kalhor, and Mercan Dede. Ziya’sdiscography includes the albums Tombak (2007), Le Cercle des Cycles (2017), Zarb-e Osul (2020), Remembrances (2023), and most recently SafarNameh (2025). Ziya’s compositions are characterized by a rich sonic palette that brings together Persian rhythmic traditions and contemporary musical aesthetics. Ziya’s work continues to captivate audiences through a compelling dialogue between tradition and innovation.