Iranian renowned Kamancheh virtuoso garners WOMEX award

Iran’s great musician and Kamancheh virtuoso, Kayhan Kalhor, has garnered WOMEX Artist Award 2019 in Finland.

WOMEX bestowed the award to Kalhor because of his “ceaseless innovation and collaboration to create exciting new musical languages and for bringing the Persian classical music tradition to the ears of people all over the world”.

As stated on the WOMEX official website “for Kayhan Kalhor, the kamancheh is his voice. When he plays, he creates whole languages in which to communicate with people from all over the world, from centuries past and far into the future”.

While receiving the award, the internationally acclaimed virtuoso on the kamancheh said “receiving the WOMEX Artist Award means so much to me. The award is recognition of the rich culture of my homeland Iran and an ageless Persian art that thrives and is beloved throughout the world. As forces arise across the globe and push for divisiveness, borders and intolerance, music brings us together and reminds us of our common humanity”.

Kalhor, born in Tehran, began his musical studies at the age of seven and continued his studies with different masters in Iran. He went to Rome and then Canada to study Western classical music and received a degree in music.

He has composed works for Iran’s well-known vocalists including Mohammad Reza Shajarian and Shahram Nazeri.

Kalhor is internationally known and performed with great musicians around the world.

The World Music Expo (WOMEX) is an international music meeting and the biggest conference of the music scene.

More than 2700 professionals from around the world attend the event every year.

The 2019 edition of the WOMEX was slated for October 23-27, 2019 and Kalhor received the award on October 27 in the Finnish city of Tampere.

Read more:

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Music collection by Kamancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor unveiled

Iran FM attends Kalhor, Rambrant Trio concert at Interior Ministry Hall

PR/FM