He was born in 1968 in #Sanandaj#. He started learning the santoor at the age of four from his father, Hassan Kamkar had cooperation with different parts of Sanandaj city’s radios since his childhood. In 1979, after the Islamic Revolution, he went to #Tehran# to learn the techniques of playing the santoor with his brother Pashang Kamkar. Gradually he became fully acquainted with the old style of playing the santoor and the great former artists, but the old style could not respond to his creative spirit. He sought to discover new techniques for playing the santoor and eventually found a new and unique style for this classical instrument.
He was around 20 years old when he performed an unprecedented piece called Darya at a Kamkaran concert in Tehran, which is now regarded as an uprising in the world of santoor. Darya was the first piece to have a completely new color and paint, using special santoor techniques that could not be played on instruments such as the piano.
Ardavan's style of playing the santoor and his balancing techniques are entirely unique. The traditional method of playing the santoor believed that the right hand was stronger than the left hand in terms of control and weight. So most of the beginnings of the cuts, as well as the stresses between them, were played with the right hand, making them easily recognizable to a slightly experienced listener. In addition to improving the agility and ability of his left hand as his right hand, Ardavan also developed the field of santoor techniques. The beginning of his cuts can be played with either hand, and the roles of the right and left hands can be changed within the cuts, giving him an unprecedented smoothness of performance.[1]