Four veteran masters including kamancheh player Ardeshir Kamkar, photographer Fakhreddin Fakhreddini, songwriter Mohammad-Ali Bahmani, and violinist Marjan Ghanbari-Mehr were honored for their contributions in their respective fields of work at the closing ceremony of the 33rd Fajr Music Festival on Friday night.
A virtuoso in violin, the kamancheh, and the ghaychak (Iranian bowed string instruments), Kamkar is a prominent member of ‘The Kamkars’ musical band, and a member of the Art and Culture Orchestra of Sanandaj, capital of Kurdistan Province, Iran.
The unique Kamkar style as well as his efforts to introduce the lesser known techniques of the kamancheh has made him “an idol among the young kamanche and violin players in Iran, promoting the instruments within the community,” reports IRNA.
Kamkar has played with several famous Iranian ensembles such as Dastan, Aref and Sheyda. He has worked with the famous traditional singer Mohammad-Reza Shajarian and his talented vocalist son, Homayoun Shajarian. He has also had several international collaborations.
Best Ghazal Lyricist
Born in 1943, Bahmani is an Iranian poet. He has published several collections and his works have also been printed in different journals.
He was adjudged the best Ghazal lyricist of Iran in 1990 (Ghazal is a poetic form comprising of rhyming couplets and a refrain).
Fakhreddini was born in 1932 in Azerbaijan, Iran. After a brief experience with photography, he started working as a portrait photographer following his travels to America and Germany, and studying books by international contemporary photographers.
Born in 1952, in Tehran, Marjan Ghanbari-Mehr is one of the prominent classical violinists in Iran. She has worked with Tehran Symphony Orchestra and taught at the Tehran University School of Art and other musical academies. She was also a member of the Tehran University Council for holding practical art exams, and has ranked highest in the annual evaluation of the Iranian Academy of the Arts.
