Tehran’s Comprehensive University of Applied and Practical Sciences will replace studies of ‘international’ music with Iranian traditional music instruments, according to professors.
The move could mean that in future there are not even any musicians to play the regime’s anthem, one music teacher said.
The head of the university’s international music group and orchestra conductor told the ISNA news agency: “The greatest harm that this measure could do to the country’s music is that in the next ten years, there will be no orchestras left in Iran.
“This means any composer who graduates in this field will have no one to play his music.
“This measure will not only have an impact on the academic system and classical music, but other music such as pop music will also be affected.”
A music professor at Tehran University added: “If we eliminate the study of music now, we will face severe negative consequences.
“This would mean there will eventually be so few musicians, there will not even be enough to form an orchestra.”
The axing of music studies comes after a leading Tehran musician described Iran’s orchestras are ‘catastrophes that play no music’.
Wind instrument player Armin Gheitasi said the orchestra now played no concerts and their massively delayed salaries were ‘lower than council workers’.
He told the ISNA news agency: “There are no concerts at all and the orchestra has limited itself to only once-monthly projects and organization programs.
“Officials pay the performers’ wages with long delays and pay them on credit. What you see here is not symphonic orchestra, it’s a catastrophe.
“The salary of members of Tehran’s symphony orchestra is equal to the city hall workers, yet we have studied music for years.
“If you don’t want the music and orchestras, then close them down. It is not clear what they want to do? Perhaps they should stick to pop music because it’s more profitable for them.”
All pre-revolution music was banned after the mullahs seized power in 1979, because they said music’ came between the faithful and God, and leads to an impure mind’.
Since then, only a handful of concerts have been performed in the regime in more than 30 years.