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A native of Teheran, Iran, Shahyar grew up in a music-loving Azerbaijani family.  He received his training in the art of singing and drumming in family circles at an early age. His musical training includes the Tehran Conservatory of Music and the Indiana School of Music. He has participated in numerous festivals and concerts in Europe and North American cities since 1975.  He holds a doctoral degree in Central Eurasian Studies with an emphasis on the cultures, languages of the Central Eurasia and the Middle East. Currently, he is a research associate at the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center and a faculty member at the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University. Shahyar is one of the co-founders of Bloomington’s Lotus World Music and Dance Festival.  He was a founding member of the Sabá, Breeze of the East Ensemble. Today, Shahyar is the director of the Silk Road Ensemble and the Silk Road Institute which have promoted the Music of Central Eurasia and the Middle East since 1992