Violin Ceremony Salutes Master Abolhassan Saba

The first Iranian Violin Ceremony was held on December 22 at Azadi Tower at which special tribute was paid to the celebrated violinist and setar player Abolhassan Saba. The event was directed by pop violinist Meysam Marvasti, 36, in the presence of musicians and state officials.

Ali Asghar Karandish, a deputy culture minister, Ali Akbar Safipour, head of Roudaki Foundation; Fereydoun Shahbazian, conductor of Iran’s National Orchestra; Nematollah Payan, head of Azadi Tower Complex, composer Houshang Kamkar and other classical musicians attended the ceremony.

The event opened with a performance by young violinist Artemis Salimi wearing a Kurdish costume, out of respect for the quake-stricken people of Kermanshah. The 7.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the province and regions bordering Iraq on Nov. 12, killing over 500 people and injuring thousands of others.

Salimi’s performance was followed by a video clip chronicling the life and works of the renowned composer and setar player Saba (1902-1957), according to sazoghalam.ir, a music news website.

Among the highlights of the program was a performance by Kurdish Philharmonic Orchestra, accompanied by prominent violinists, namely Homayoun Rahimian, Karim Qorbani, Sohrab Borhanmandi, Pourshang Pour-Eshraghi and others who were led by composer and conductor Farhad Fakhreddini, 78.

Having been away from stage for a long time, Fakhreddini led the orchestra in memory of Abolhassan Saba and victims of the November earthquake.

The violin ceremony was organized by Nam Music Academy in collaboration with the music producing and distributing company ‘Ahang-Parsian’ and the cultural institute of ‘Sedaye-Honar,’ active in music production, sound mixing and dubbing.

Proceeds from the program went to the quake-stricken children of Kermanshah Province. The event was available live, online on Namm.ir music website. “In the coming years, the festival is expected to become of the “largest” and “most credible” violin festivals in the country,” said Marvasti at the conclusion of the event.