Biography

Imamyar Hasanov was born in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1975. He started playing the kamancha at the age of 7 and eventually became the youngest soloist in Azerbaijan's National Music Instruments Orchestra. He has a Master's Degree in Art and Music from the Azerbaijan State Conservatory named after Uzeir Gadzhibekov. During his conservatory studies, he worked with Professor Agha Jabrayil Abasaliyev, who instructed him in the art of mugham. Imamyar is a dynamic virtuoso who performs Azerbaijani and Middle Eastern traditional improvisations as well as European classics for the first time as a kamancha soloist.   He organized the first tar, kamancha, and piano instrumental trio in Azerbaijan named ''Gala" which took first place in competition "Seeking Talents" in Azerbaijan in 1996.

Imamyar Hasanov is the winner of several national and classical music competitions in Azerbaijan .In addition, he has participated in folk music festivals in Canada, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkey and the USA. He performed with many great artists including Chingiz Sadykhov, Ross Daly, Pejman Hadadi, Svetlana Aliyeva, Rahman Asadollahi, Hosein Omoumi, Hakan Toker and many others. In 2007 Imamyar Hasanov performed with his brother Rufat Hasanov virtuoso tar player who lives in Baku, Azerbaijan and master percussionist Pejman Hadadi at the "Best Kept Secret of World Music" Concert Series at University of St. Thomas, Houston and George Washington University, Lisner Auditorium.  Imamyar Hasanov resides in the Washington DC area USA with his wife and two daughters.