The 41st Fajr International Music Festival ended at Vahdat Hall after six days celebrating Iran’s musical heritage. This year, the festival honored veteran artists and presented the Barbad Awards. Cultural officials and musicians attended, including Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi, Head of the Cinema Organization Raed Faridzadeh, and festival secretary Arash Amini.
During the ceremony, organizers introduced an artificial intelligence singer named “Avin,” created by Fatemeh Agahi. Avin performed Iranian-themed songs with a pop music ensemble. Salehi explained that the festival had originally been planned as a month-long program. However, social developments in mid-January forced organizers to reduce it to six days. “We designed this program to preserve the festival’s continuity while respecting social realities,” he added.
Regarding AI in music, Salehi noted, “Emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence, affect many parts of life. Humans remain irreplaceable. Therefore, we must use new technologies to serve humanity.” Meanwhile, the festival honored four masters of regional music with commemorative plaques: Shamsi Behrouz, a Baluchi vocalist; Ashour Goldi Barzin, a Turkmen dutar player and singer; Shafi Khaledi Kimnei, a Kurdish musician; and Bahman Eskini, a vocalist from Lorestan.
The Barbad Awards recognized top performers in several categories. In pop music, Meysam Khodayari won Best Composer, Mohammad Hossein Jafari won Best Arranger, and Mahmoud Salehi took Best Singer. Next, in fusion music, Ali Ahmadian won both Best Composer and Best Singer, while Afshar Namvar and Ali Amjadi shared Best Arranger. Finally, in traditional music, Nima Zahedi won Best Composer, Omidreza Hedayati won Best Instrumentalist, and Ali Asghar Esmaeili and Hamidreza Esmaeili shared Best Singer honors.
The Barbad Award started at the 31st festival. Since then, organizers expanded the categories from 16 to 21. The festival featured six sections: Iranian music, choral ensembles, children and youth performances, fusion and pop, classical music, and regional and ethnic music. Overall, despite adjustments, the event highlighted Iran’s musical diversity and explored new technological possibilities.