Bio

Ahmad Yousefbeigi is a dynamic and versatile hand percussionist with over 25 years of performance experience. He is equally fluent in playing the traditional, energetic folk rhythms of his native Kurdistan, as he is versed in contemporary experimental improvisation and progressive world music.

In December 2020 Ahmad was proud to perform by invitation in the virtual ADL In Concert Against Hate produced by the Anti-Defamation League. Currently he is a member of a Seattle band called The Crown , which has produced original songs and has several vinyl LPs. Since September 2010 Ahmad has been a founding member of Yesod , an acoustic, ambient improvisational collaboration which has produced more than 35 recording sessions.

Born in Sanandaj, Kurdistan, Ahmad’s passion for rhythm was fostered by the musical nature of Kurdish community life. At the age of twelve he began formal study of tonbak, a wooden goblet-shaped drum and Kurdish daf, a large frame drum lined with chains.

Upon arriving in the Pacific Northwest Ahmad co-founded several traditional folk music ensembles performing Kurdish, Farsi and Pan-Arabic music: Kamand, Mashriq and Shorouk. In these groups he played a mix of Kurdish and Arabic drums: tonbak, daf, dayre, dohol, riqq, and darbuka.

For three years—in 2006, 2008 and 2009—Ahmad produced, organized and performed with Kamand and other guest artists to create a two hour music and dance concert called Norooz—a celebration commemorating the Iranian New Year and the first day of Spring—at Town Hall Seattle. In these concerts he played hand percussion on tonbak, daf, dayre and dohol, sang traditional and classical songs in Kurdish and Farsi with Kamand, created and directed a local Iranian-American community choir and played hand percussion with invited guest artists as well.

Ahmad's curiosity, love of cultural exchange and collaboration has led him to perform with many musicians and bands outside of his native traditional Kurdish musical roots. On multiple occasions, Ahmad has performed daf as a guest percussionist with the Seattle Peace Choir —playing in an interpretation of Mozart's Requiem and Ode to Joy. Ahmad was a member of the Seattle-based Eastern European fusion band called (LINK)Alchymeia and Balkan dance band Kafana Republik. He was also a member of Sin Fronteras Sin Fronteras, a Latin American folk music ensemble. In addition to his native drums, Ahmad also plays cajón, Argentine bombo, maracas, and güiro.

Other performance highlights include appearances on Seattle Public Radio Stations KUOW and KBCS; on Big Night Out on the Seattle Channel; at Benaroya Hall; Seattle City Hall; Kirkland Performance Center; Bellevue Community College; South Seattle Community College; UW Meany Hall, and Classical Tuesdays in Old Town Tacoma. Ahmad performed with Kamand for Rick Steve's Iran: Yesterday and Today presentation. In 2014 in Vancouver, Canada, Ahmad had the privilege of performing with the celebrated Kurdish singer Nasser Razazi.