Siamak Jahangiri is a rising star in the world of Persian classical music. Born in northern Iran in 1971, he began playing the ney at the age of twelve. He has studied with Iran’s most eminent ney players, primarily Mohammad Ali Kiani Nejad. He received his degree in music from Tehran University of the Arts and has written a book on the ney, its playing techniques in the 20th century, and its masters. He has performed with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, appeared on the recording Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet (on which fellow ensemble members Kalhor and Aghaei also appeared) and was featured in the companion exhibition of photographs The Silk Road Ensemble: Portraits and Places.