The medal is named after Mohammadreza Lotfi, the late master of stringed Iranian instruments and composer, who worked with great musicians such as vocalist Mohammadreza Shajarian.

The decoration will be awarded biennially to musicians with outstanding works, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili, said during the closing ceremony of the festival held at Fakhreddin Asad Gorgani Hall.

The non-competitive festival is organized annually in Kerman, southern Iran, however, the organizers relocated the event to Gorgan allegedly due to disarray in the technical infrastructure of the central hall of the city, which was scheduled to host the participating musicians.

However, the officials of Gorgan said in the closing ceremony the northeastern Iranian city is ready to host the festival permanently.

Speaking at the ceremony, the director of the festival, Mohammad-Ali Merat, referred to this year’s theme “Cultural Iran, ethnic traditions in the Muslim world’s musical dialogue” and said, “This theme talks about the cultural Iran, an ancient country, which has always lived peacefully and friendly with its neighboring countries and other nations.”
     
He also added that about 100 professional and veteran musicians were invited to perform at the festival.

He expressed his thanks to the participating musicians, calling them “the representatives of the great culture of Iran.”

“In the international section of the festival, we had musicians from Turkey, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan; we do really appreciate their warm presence,” he said.

Ten prominent scholars held workshops on different issues. The results and an analysis of the sessions will be published in the festival’s booklet in the near future.

An Uzbek band and several Iranian groups gave performances during the closing ceremony. 

In addition, a number of regional music scholars and musicians, including Hushang Javid, Ahmad Hosseini, Nezam Musaivi, Mohammad Iray, Mohammad Naeimi and Mohammadreza Barzegar received plaques of honor.

Photo: An Iranian group performs during the closing ceremony of the 15th Iran’s Regional Music Festival at Fakhreddin Asad Gorgani Hall in Gorgan on November 17, 2022.