Born in 1944 in Isfahan, Hossein Omoumi began ney studies at 14 and later trained directly under Hassan Kassai. He taught at Iran’s National Conservatory of Music before relocating to Paris in 1984 to teach at the Sorbonne, and he currently holds the Maseeh Professorship in Persian Performing Arts at the University of California, Irvine.

Mood and energy: Refined, academic, contemplative. Recommended uses: reflection, meditation.

Sacred Ground Confidence Score: 4 out of 5 stars   Final recommendation: Approved.

Why this artist belongs in Sacred Sounds: A direct student of Hassan Kassai and an internationally established scholar-performer whose academic posts, Sorbonne and UC Irvine, have carried the Isfahan school of Persian ney playing into Western institutions.