Washington, D.C., USA - Roya Bahrami, the Iranian-American composer, santur virtuoso, and vocalist, has a new album titled Roya. Inspired by the timeless wisdom of Persian poets Rumi, Hafez, and Sepehri and by flamenco, 'Roya' features the sounds of Bahrami's Persian santur. The compilation includes Persian spiritual and classical music blended with Western elements and introduces a new genre, Persian-Flamenco, a fusion of Persian melodies and poetry with flamenco rhythms and harmonies.
 
 Among the albums noteworthy pieces is 'The Beloved' which showcases Bahrami's hauntingly beautiful deep voice set to a blend of Persian melodies, flamenco harmonies, and the poetry of Rumi, the celebrated 13th century Persian Sufi poet. In 'Unveiled Soul' set to the poetry of the 14th century mystic poet, Hafez, she blends Persian spiritual music with contemporary Western elements. Conjuring up images of flamenco dancers, 'Message' is set to the contemporary poetry of Sepehri with the refrain: "I shall come to pour light into your veins."

Roya Bahrami sings and plays all the instruments: Persian santur (hammered dulcimer), the great-grandparent of the piano; the Iranian daf and zarb (hand drums); and the keyboards for synthesized instruments. The album, which is a compilation of her original compositions, debuted on the Top-10 world charts of a number of radio stations in Canada and the U.S.

The Album is available through CDBaby.