Reviving the National and Tehran Symphony Orchestras

Term 1

Socio-cultural

33 Votes

Achieved

Promise Timeline

Updated on Mar 19, 2015: Iran’s National Orchestra performed for the first time after a three year hiatus. It was in the previous administration when National Orchestra along with the eighty-year old Tehran Symphony Orchestra were forced into silence due to negligence from the government and financial difficulties.

Soon after taking office, President Hassan Rouhani promised to revive both orchestras within months. Although this didn’t happen as planned, but March 2015 saw the first performance of Tehran Symphony conducted by Ali Rahbari. After dropping the idea of merging the two orchestras, Farhad Fakhroddini was invited to lead the National Orchestra which he founded in 1997.

On June 10th 2015, Fakhroddini conducted the National Orchestra with Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in attendance and President Rouhani tweeting about it using the hashtag #PromiseAchieved.

Achieved

About the promise

In January 2014, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani promised to revive the National Orchestra and the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, two state ensembles, which were almost dismantled over the past five years reportedly because of financial problems. Early April 2014 it was announced that Farhad Fakhreddini and Manuchehr Sahbaii have been hired to conduct Iran’s National Orchestra and the Tehran Symphony Orchestra. The prominent musicians were selected by the Music Office of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, MNA reported.