Musicians commemorate setar virtuoso Jalal Zolfonun

TEHRAN,May 8(MNA) -- Musicians, fans and family members gathered to remember the name and memories of setar virtuoso Jalal Zolfonun at Tehran’s Milad Tower on Sunday. Zolfonun died on March 18, just two days before the beginning of Noruz (Iranian New Year). He was suffering from heart disease and had undergone surgery just a few weeks before he died. The ceremony began with a letter, daughter Golnush Zolfonun recited in the sad demise of her father, and Golnush, Golpar and son Soheil handed a plaque of honor to their mom Mashruteh Zanganeh to express their appreciation for all her help. A music video narrating part of the life of the master along with his several compositions was screened for the audiences. Afterwards, students and members of Zolfonun School performed a concert in their master’s honor, “we do not believe his loss and we believe he is the symbol of art and modesty,” his student Mehrdad Torabi said. Vocalist Hesameddin Seraj accompanied with Soheil Zolfonun and Masud Habibi was next who performed on stage. Seraj said that Zolfonun’s name is always with us and he will always be remembered especially when his children accompany us in the band. The ceremony continued with performance of Tajik famous singer Dolatmand khalef and his son. Poet Soheil Mahmudi was the last who talked about the influence of Zolfonun in playing setar in Iran. Zolfonun was born in 1937 in Abadeh, Fars Province. His family moved to Tehran when he was a child where he began to take music lessons, especially on the setar. He received lessons from masters Abolhasan Saba, Arsalan Dargahi and Ahmad Ebadi but finally, he chose to play the setar. The albums “100-Petal Flower” and “Fire in Field of Reeds” are among his highlights.