Iran`s Fajr Music Festival selects winners

TEHRAN,Mar.1(MNA) -- The 26th Fajr International Music Festival wrapped up on Sunday evening by announcing the winners in the different sections during a ceremony held at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.

A group of Iranian bands and six bands coming from Armenia, India Azerbaijan, Netherlands, Slovakia and Greece competed in different halls in Tehran during the event, which ran from February 21 to 27.

No foreign bands were selected in any category as winners. However, the winners were selected from among the Iranian participants. Erfan Vakili from Tehran took the first prize in the music composition section.

The best award in the Palestinian March section was given to Keivan Alaii Hosseini from Mashhad,the capital of Iran`s khorasan province.

A traditional band from the Bahman Cultural Center led by conductor, Hossein Ruzbahani, was named the first place winner in the Iranian classic section. The second prize was presented to the band with Siavash Esmaeili as conductor from Karaj,a city near Tehran.

The “Dosar” Band, led by conductor Alireza Golshan from Shiraz in southwest of Iran , took the third place award.

The jury did not select a first place winner of a band in the non-Iranian classic section.

The two bands “Nomah” by Negar Afazel and “Zarvan” by Laleh Fallah-Pasand, both from Tehran, shared the second place award in the non-Iranian classic section.

“Cadance” by conductor Mehdi Nobari and “Young Ensemble” by Milad Alami shared the third prize.

In the choir section, the first award went to “Pasargadae” a choral group by conductor Hamed Faqihi from Shiraz; and, the second award went to “Dissonance” by Mehdi Mojaver from Tehran.

“Mehr-e Vatan” also from Tehran and “Avay-e Baran” from Isfahan,the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, shared the third place award.