Cancellation of Several Music Concerts in Iran Despite Ministry of Culture's Protests

Just hours after the Iranian Ministry of Culture's spokesperson harshly protested to the police over the cancellation of Kayhan Kalhor's concert, the country's media reported the cancellation of several other music concerts, including a performance by the group Masten featuring vocalist Parvaz Homay. According to the news agency Khabar Online, the concert of Parvaz Homay was scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, but just hours before the concert, a text message was sent to ticket buyers announcing that the concert had been canceled 'until further notice' by order of a 'judicial authority.' The tickets for this singer's concert, which was supposed to take place in Iran after eight years, sold out within two days, and the concert's duration had been extended before it started. Parvaz Homay is the leader and vocalist of the Masten group, which has gained attention for presenting different works in recent years. Meanwhile, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported on Wednesday that the concert of Vahid Taj and the 'Payvar' group had been canceled for the second time in the city of Rasht. According to Mr. Taj, the concert was supposed to take place on May 29 and 30 in Rasht, but it was postponed to June due to 'unknown' reasons. He added: 'The second date set for our concert was June 10; however, we were again informed that this concert had been canceled.' Just hours before the news of the cancellation of several other concerts was released, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture stated in response to the cancellation of Kayhan Kalhor's concert that the ministry requires the police as a 'security and judicial authority' to hold concerts, but 'they [the police] are in no way' responsible for the 'cancellation or issuance of permits' for concerts. According to the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), Hossein Nooshabadi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, noted on Wednesday that many problems in holding concerts stem from 'subjective perspectives' and added: 'Unfortunately, some do not have clear boundaries of responsibility and execution; as a result, they take actions that also lead to public distrust.' In this context, Pirouz Arjomand, the director of the Music Office of the Ministry of Culture, announced on Tuesday that the police's places of business had not granted permission for Kayhan Kalhor and the Brooklyn Rider group to hold a concert. According to Mr. Arjomand, Kalhor's performance at Milad Tower in Tehran was supposed to be part of his global concert tour with his group. Kayhan Kalhor is one of the most prominent Iranian musicians, having been nominated for the Grammy Awards four times. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture expressed ignorance about the reason for the police's refusal to allow Kayhan Kalhor's concert and added: 'We do not know if the police have a problem with Mr. Kalhor personally or with the venue of the concert.' He further stated: 'Milad Tower is a defined cultural and artistic venue and does not have security issues that would lead the police to cancel the concert.' Mr. Nooshabadi emphasized: 'If there is a security issue related to a person's identity, that responsibility falls to other institutions and does not concern the police's places of business.'