As a Persian classical musician and singer, Sepideh Raissadat has always been free to pursue her love of music. But as a female living in Iran, she was prohibited from sharing it with others.

Raissadat was born in Tehran in 1980, just one year after the Islamic Revolution limited women's rights, turning them into second-class citizens. In a country where women are banned from performing in public, singing is not just an art form, it's a call for freedom.

"Women couldn't sing solos," said Raissadat, although Iran has slowly loosened its restrictions over time. "Soon, they said women could sing in groups like a choir, then in groups of two or three and eventually they said women could sing duets with a man."

On Saturday, Raissadat will perform at Carnegie Mellon University's Kresge Theatre as part of the Azadeh Ensemble, a group of four Iranian women playing various classical instruments. Hosted by the Iranian American Cultural Association of Pittsburgh, "An Evening of Persian Classical Music" also will feature local Persian musicians, Mahmud Tehrani and Dariush Saghafi.

In 1999, Raissadat became the first female singer in Iran after the revolution to sing in a duet when she performed with famous Persian musician and composer, Parviz Meshtakian.

"The situation in Iran is a little better now, but we still can't sing solos, which is a real shame for us," said Raissadat, who studied with Parissa, one of Iran's most esteemed female classical musicians.

In Saturday's concert, in addition to singing, Raissadat will play the setar, a four-stringed lute that is different from the Indian sitar. The Persian setar carries a low and tender tone that contributes to the meditative nature of Persian classical music, which combines sounds and experiences from nature and mystic beliefs.

"Most people are not familiar with the depth of Persian music, which is really mixed with poetry," said Saghafi, a kidney specialist from Murrysville who is an accomplished player of the santur or the hammered dulcimer -- a box-like instrument played with two small hammers. One of ancient Persia's most celebrated poets, Manuchehri, likened the santur's sound to the singing of birds.

"These are authentic instruments that have been played in Persia for years," said Saghafi, who has released several Persian classical albums.

"When I go on the stage and play, I am a professional musician," he said. "We hope that [the audience] will have a new experience."

Sahba Motallebi, part of the Azadeh Ensemble, will join Raissadat in playing the setar, as well as the tar, a long-necked, plucked lute. "Azadeh" means liberated in Farsi and the Azadeh Ensemble will represent all Iranian women's struggles for freedom, Motallebi said.

"[We] will be there as Persian women musicians who suffered a lot for the art and music in Iran," Motallebi said. "We have so many things to say and feelings to share for our women who want freedom ... Our concert will be dedicated to [them]."