Rira Trio

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Björn Meyer‬: Bass ‪

Mahan Mirarab‬: Guitar, Fretless-Guitar

Misagh Joolaee: Kamancheh

Composed by Mahan Mirarab

Rira Trio brings together three singular voices from different musical worlds to create a sound that is both deeply rooted and strikingly contemporary. The ensemble takes its name from Rira, a poem by the Iranian modernist poet Nima Youshij. Like Youshij’s work, which broke with classical forms to express new emotional landscapes, Rira Trio traverses boundaries — between East and West, tradition and innovation, composition and improvisation.

Misagh Joolaee (kamancheh) was born in Mashhad, Iran, in 1983 and grew up in the northern province of Mazandaran. A child prodigy, he mastered the Persian classical repertoire Radif on violin by age 13, winning the Fajr Music Festival’s first prize for young performers. A multi-instrumentalist and composer, Joolaee later immersed himself in European classical music and has worked with musicians from diverse traditions. His albums — Ferne (2020), Unknown Nearness (2021), and Qanat (2022) — have all received the prestigious Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik. In 2024, his trio’s debut album Morgenwind was also honored with the same award.

Björn Meyer (six-string acoustic and electric bass, bass mandola) grew up outside Stockholm, discovering the bass guitar as a teenager. Awarded the Swiss Music Prize in 2019, Meyer is known for his innovative sonic approach, questioning the conventional limits of his instrument. A longtime collaborator of Tunisian oud master Anouar Brahem and Swedish nyckelharpa player Johan Hedin, Meyer’s work moves seamlessly between jazz, folk, and experimental music. His solo album Provenance was released on ECM in 2017.

Mahan Mirarab (fretless guitar, guitar) is a Vienna-based Iranian composer and guitarist. Known for his multi-neck guitar and distinctive style, he blends European chamber music and contemporary jazz with the rich traditions of Persian classical music. Mirarab’s compositions offer a fresh narrative on Middle Eastern culture and jazz, combining intricate rhythms and harmonies into a language that is both complex and accessible. For him, jazz is not merely a style but a philosophy of identity, solidarity, and liberation. Together, Rira Trio weaves delicate yet powerful musical conversations. Their sound is as poetic and intimate as Youshij’s Rira, evoking a quiet call that echoes across mountains and time, resonating deeply with the listener.