World music/latin jazz trio Farshid Etniko will be appearing in Maintenance Shop at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, in a free show presented by the Student Union Board.

Trio frontman Farshid Soltanshahi began his musical journey when he learned guitar growing up in Iran, and continued as he worked for several years in France as a Middle Eastern instruments instructor.

“I’ve always played music, since I was 6 or 7 years old growing up in Iran, and later in France,” Soltanshahi said. “I became a professional musician 17 years ago.”

The trio has toured and performed in several countries including France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as around the U.S., especially in the St. Louis area in Missouri.

“I’ve traveled in California; Missouri; Illinois; North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; South Carolina and Florida. I’ve been to a lot of different states in the last 14 years,” Soltanshahi said.

Farshid Etniko presents a unique blend of cultures and styles in their musical sound. Described simply as world music, the group combines middle-eastern influences with latin, jazz and blues to deliver an international and diverse listening experience.

The ethnic variations that the group displays has been described as a form of visual entertainment in itself, allowing audience members to draw from their own cultural music tastes.

“[Having heard us live], this is something that people have told me,” Soltanshahi said. “There are a lot of related things that they follow in their minds. They talk about how it’s like storytelling with instrumental music, a story that has a beginning, a middle and a conclusion.”

Soltanshahi and his trio have opened for a number of notable acts such as Santana, the Taj Mahal trio, Cassandra Wilson, Shahin and Sepehre, Nicol Kidjo, and Greg Adams.

International Music Night is a free event sponsored by the Student Union Board. The show begins at 7 p.m. and doors to M-Shop in the Memorial Union will open at 6:30 p.m..

SUB encourages students to arrive early due to the limited space.