TEHRAN -- Iran plans to hold the Fajr International Music Festival a month earlier to avoid a scheduling conflict with the ten-day mourning for the martyrdom anniversary of Hazrat Fatima (SA), the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (S).

The 32nd edition of the festival is scheduled to be held from January 11 to 20, 2017, the director of the festival, Hamidreza Nurbakhsh, told the Persian service of the FNA on Monday.

The festival’s schedule will be ready in two weeks, he added.

The organizers plan to find sponsors from the private sector in order to improve their performance for this year.

“However, the Iran Music Association will supervise all the arrangements,” Nurbakhsh stated.

“We asked for a 30-percent increase in the budget for this edition of the festival,” he said, adding that he is not hopeful his request for an increased budget would be granted. 

Iran organizes Fajr festivals in music, film and other fields of art every year during February to celebrate the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

Photo: Iran’s National Orchestra performs under the baton of Loris Tjeknavorian in a file photo during the 31st Fajr International Music Festival at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on February 13, 2016. (Borna/Mohsen Vanai)
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