Tara Jaff

Tara Jaff (in Kurdish Tara Caf) is an Iraqi Kurdish musician who has been exposed to many influences.Over the years, she experimented with different string instruments, but it was her fascination with the ancient harps of Sumeria, Assyria, Hurrians and Elam, dating as far back as 3000 BC that led her to the contemporary Celtic harp.She has embraced this instrument and introduced to Kurdish music in particularly folk songs.She has developed her own innovative style to adapt to the various musical rhythms and modes of the region, bringing a contemporary expression to an ancient form of music and song.She has been living in the United Kingdom since 1976 and has performed widely mainly as a solo artist in concerts, festivals, galleries, conferences as well having appeared regularly on radio and television worldwide.Her occasional collaborations have been with a wide range of artists such as film-makers, story-tellers, poets, painters as well as other musicians.She is also involved in outreach work where she takes her harp to hospitals to play soothing music for patients and staff.