EXCLUSIVE: The Sweet Destiny of Arash Sobhani, The Kiosk Band Leader Speaks to...
By Ahmad Rafat
Arash Sobhani is the founder of the pioneering Iranian rock group Kiosk. An architecture graduate, he formed his band before moving to the U.S. Kiosk was one of the prominent bands in...
Remembering Lily Afshar, Master of Classical Guitar, University of Memphis Professor
By Nazanine Nouri
The internationally renowned classical guitarist Lily Afshar passed away at the age of 63 on October 24 following a long battle with illness. She was a hugely gifted and passionate instrumentalist, and...
Prima Ballerina Haydeh Changizian Dreams of Reopening A Ballet School in Iran
By Katy Shahandeh
Haydeh Changizian is an artist with an illustrious past. Formerly a Prima Ballerina with the National Ballet of Iran – before its shutdown after the Iranian Revolution in 1979 – she has...
Meet the Iranian-Swedish Pop Band Abjeez
By Mani Tehrani
Abjeez is a Swedish pop band founded in 2005 by the Iranian-born sisters Melody and Safoura Safavi. The band has enjoyed sold-out performances in Europe and North America, and its name derives from the colloquial Persian...
Iranian Theater Manager, Director Detained After Release of Play Teaser
Saeed Asadi, the manager of the City Theater of Tehran, and Maryam Kazemi, the director of a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” have been arrested by security agents after...
Silenced Musicians of Iran Come Together on Homanity Album
Music in Iran dates back thousands of years. Archeological records from the 3rd millennium BC shown that some of the earliest complex instruments, such as the harp, were played there.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder...
L.A. Rock Vocalist Soraya Sebghati Would Love to Perform in Iran
By Fred Parvaneh
Soraya Sebghati is a songwriter and the lead vocalist of Night Talks (NightTalkstheband.com), a Los-Angeles-based alternative rock band.
The group’s debut album “In Dreams” got strong reviews, and the first single “Green” was...
Iran Treasury to Receive 10% of Concert Ticket Sale Proceeds
The Iranian Musicians Union released a statement on March 19 criticizing recent legislation which requires performers to give 10 percent of the proceeds of concert ticket sales to the state treasury. The union has...
Cannes Festival Presents Movie by British-Iranian Director Babak Anvari
The British-Iranian director Babak Anvari’s latest film, “Wounds,” has been selected by the Cannes Film Festival this year in its parallel Directors’ Fortnight section. No awards are given out in that section.
“Wounds,” which is...
Teaching Tar and Setar on YouTube: Interview with Sahba Motallebi
By Firouzeh Ramezanzadeh
Sahba Motallebi is an Iranian musician, songwriter and player of tar and setar (Iranian string instruments) Motallebi was born in 1978 in Tehran. She is a graduate of the Tehran Conservatory of...
