Monday, July 20, 2026

INTERVIEW: Hollywood Soundtrack Composer, Niyaz Founder Loga Ramin Torkian

By Fred Parvaneh Loga Ramin Torkian is an Iranian-born instrumentalist and composer and co-founder of the electronic-acoustic World Music groups Niyaz and Axiom of Choice. Niyaz blends medieval Sufi poetry and folk songs from Iran, India...

Shirin Neshat, Actor Abbas Bakhtiari Star in Shakespeare’s Tempest

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. He is the author of a tragicomedy called The Tempest, which is believed to have been inspired by real-life accounts and...

Ashkan Layegh Becomes First Iranian to Win Royal Academy of Music Scholarship

Ashkan Layegh, a 20-year-old musical prodigy, has won a full scholarship to study piano and composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is believed to be the first Iranian-born musician to...

Iranian Actor Mohsen Afshani Arrested for Posting Provocative Video on Social Media

Police have arrested the Iranian actor and TV presenter Mohsen Afshani after he posted a video clip on his Instagram page that showed him waving a handgun and a knife while driving around in...
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Iranian-Born Ricci Moshir Wins Top Reggae Award For His Song ‘Wakayo’

By Fred Parvaneh Last November, Ricci Moshir (aka XOrasta Ricci) -- singer, songwriter, and leader of the band “Ricci and the Tic Tac Toes” -- won the award for Best Reggae Music for his song...
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After Live Duet With Female Artist, Musician Ali Ghamsari Banned from Performing

  9 Jan- The Iranian authorities have banned the tar virtuoso, songwriter and singer Ali Ghamsari from recording and performing in public after he accompanied the solo vocalist Haleh Seyfizadeh in a concert on January...

Grammy-Nominated Kaveh Rastegar Performs With Springsteen, Writes for Bruno Mars 

By Nazanine Nouri Question: Which Iranian-American musician and songwriter came close to winning a Grammy Award when the music industry’s top trophies were handed out in March? Answer: Kaveh Rastegar. The Iranian-American bass player and recording...

Kiosk Explores Underground Iranian Music With New Album

By Ahmad Rafat
Kiosk is one of the best-known and most popular Iranian rock bands in the world. The group recently released their ninth album, “Stereo Tull Presents,” with tracks composed by singer-songwriter Arash Sobhani (who is also a San Francisco-based architect).
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Kayhan Life Interviews Niyaz, the Iranian Musical Duo 

By Ahmad Rafat Niyaz is an Iranian musical duo created by the singer Azam Ali — formerly  part of the group VAS — and her husband Loga Ramin Torkian, from the Iranian crossover group Axiom...

Iran’s National Orchestra Gets Its First Female Conductor: Nezhat Amiri

Nezhat Amiri has been appointed as the first female conductor of Iran’s national orchestra. She will assume the post on August 30 at the Vahdat (formerly Roudaki) Concert Hall in Tehran. This is the first...