TEHRAN -- Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance spokesman Hossein Nushabadi has denied reports about a solo performance by a female singer at “The Ashura Opera”, which was held by the Tehran Symphony Orchestra on October 16 and 18 at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.

Based on Islamic law, female singers are not allowed to perform solo for an audience of men in Iran.

The Persian service of the Fars News Agency published an amateur video on Sunday, showing a female singer performing solo during a concert alleged to be “The Ashura Opera”.

“The video shows a close up of one of the female singers in the choir during a rehearsal of the orchestra,” Nushabadi said and added that the video was recorded in a manner that implied the female singer was performing solo.

He said that certain media are trying to poison the art and cultural atmosphere of the country by spreading false news.

The opera is about the battle of Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions against the Umayyad dynasty during Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram on the Islamic calendar.

A group of Iranian MPs attended a performance of the opera on Sunday.

“After the concert, they left the hall with misty eyes,” composer Behzad Abdi told the Persian service of ISNA on Monday.

The orchestra led by guest conductor Nasir Heidarian will repeat the concert every night until October 22.

Photo: The choir of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra performs “The Ashura Opera” at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on October 16, 2015. (Mehr/Majid Haqdust)

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