Pezhham Akhavass is a percussionist/ multi-instrumentalist/ music director, master of tombak (a type of goblet drum from Persia) and daf (the frame drum). Pezhham was born in 1980 in Iran. He earned a bachelor's degree in Music from Su‌reh University of Tehran in 2005, second bachelor's degree in World Music from San Francisco State University (SFSU) in 2016, and the Master's degree at SFSU in Music History in 2018. With the support of his renowned artist father Mostafa, Pezhham began studying the Tombak at the age of five with the guidance of Ostad Naser Farhanghfar. From 1989-1991, he continued studying tombak with Mr. Saeid Roudbary. Pezhham developed a very unique ability to grasp the technicalities of the tombak and bring a new approach to rhythm. Pezhham worked professionally in his 20s with the renowned Persian vocalist Shahram Nazeri from 2000-2007. He has recorded and performed with many master world-class musicians such as, Hossein Alizadeh and Aliakbar Moradi as well as many great world musicians from different cultures, including world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma as part of the Silk Road project at the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to tombak and daf, he is knowledgeable about Persian classical modal system (Radif) and Persian Classical instruments such as, setar, tanbour and oud and has studied other percussion instruments including: Indian tabla with the guidance of Ostad Zakir Hussain, and Kanjira with V. Selvaganesh.  https://pezhham.com