Tehran Choir second in ChoirFest ME

Tehran, March 16, IRNA - Tehran Choir ensemble was placed second in ChoirFest Middle East 2015 held in Dubai, the UAE. Mehdi Qassemi, the ensemble's conductor, said Tehran Choir began its activity in 1999, Iran Daily reported. He added, since then, it has staged two concerts each year which were very well received by the audience. The conductor noted, 'Earlier, we broadcast samples of our works on social networks which were viewed by those responsible for holding the fest. They invited us to participate in the event.' He said choir ensembles from Iraq, Afghanistan and the UAE contended in the event. Qassemi noted that most of the members of Emirati ensembles are from the US and the Philippines. 'We should not undermine any of the ensembles.' He added Tehran Choir consists of 39 artists of which 33 constitute the body of singers and the rest perform on instruments such as the piano and string quartet. He added that 13 groups from Middle Eastern countries took part in the competition section of the festival and each performed three pieces. The choir ensemble performed 'S Wonderful' by George Gershwin, 'Ey Yar' by Ahmad Pejman and 'Agnus Dei' by Samuel Barber, he noted, adding that the pieces were well welcomed by the audiences. 'Nasim-e-Saba' choir was appreciated as the most active choir, Qassemi added. ChoirFest Middle East was a five-day festival celebrating songs in the Middle East, with a stellar line up of performers, educational workshops and competitions to unite communities from all over the world. The ChoirFest Middle East 2015 took place in the UAE from March 10-14.