Small World Music: Rastak

About

Rastak (رستاک) is one of the most recognized names in contemporary Iranian folk music. Originally formed as an experimental music group, the ensemble collects, records, and reimagines folk songs from across Iran, bringing these living traditions to audiences far beyond their places of origin.

On stages around the world, Rastak carries the sounds of Iran’s many regions through folk songs, regional languages, traditional instruments, layered vocals, and contemporary arrangements.

For those who already know Rastak, this is a chance to experience one of Iran’s most loved contemporary folk ensembles live in Toronto. For those discovering them for the first time, this is an invitation into the richness, energy, and cultural depth of Iranian folk music.

This September, Small World Music presents Rastak at The Creative School Chrysalis in Toronto for an evening of music, culture, and storytelling. Their music moves across regions, memories, and traditions, transforming songs rooted in local communities into a vivid live concert experience.

Songlines wrote that Rastak creates “a compelling sound world,” shaped by tar, setar, electric oud, qanun, kamancheh, percussion, and voices that carry the spirit of place.