TEHRAN-The renowned Iranian classical guitarist Lily Afshar passed away October 24 after a long period of suffering from cancer.

As her condition deteriorated, Afshar was hospitalized on October 18 in her hometown Tonekabon City, Mazandaran Province, north of Iran. However, treatments did not work and the music world lost a true luminary. She was 63 at the time of her unfortunate demise, ISNA reported on Wednesday.

Acclaimed as one of the world’s foremost classical guitarists, Afshar was a virtuoso who brought passion to her performance. The Washington Post once described her performances as “remarkable, impeccable.” She was the only classical guitarist in the world who blended excellent formal training in the United States and Europe “with the rich cultural heritage of Persia to bring audiences an extraordinary musical experience.”

Afshar’s remarkable journey in music began when she was chosen as one of 12 international guitarists to study under the legendary Andres Segovia at the University of Southern California. Maestro Segovia once predicted on NBC evening news that Afshar would become a famous musician, a prophecy that she fulfilled with grace.

Born in Tehran in 1960, she earned a bachelor’s degree in music at the Boston Conservatory, and her Master of Music at the New England Conservatory.  Following her studies at Florida State University, she became the first woman in the world to be awarded the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in guitar performance.

Embracing her Persian heritage, Afshar also fascinated concert goers with occasional live performance on the setar, a traditional Persian instrument which evolved over many centuries into the guitar. Her performances always included music that was as rich and beautiful as a Persian miniature or tapestry.

In 2000, she won the Orville H. Gibson Award in Los Angeles for Best Female Classical Guitarist.  Her notable awards also include a top prize in the Guitar Foundation of America Competition and Grand Prize in the Aspen Music Festival Guitar Competition, among others.

She was a three-time winner of the annual ‘Premier Guitarist’ awards given by the Memphis Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, and was chosen as an ‘Artistic Ambassador’ to Africa for the United States Information Agency.

Afshar’s concert schedule took her to solo, chamber music, and orchestral performance venues in the US, Canada, England, Ireland, France, Italy, Jordan, Australia, New Zealand, and her home country Iran, as well as countries in South America and Africa.

She regularly conducted guitar courses and master classes in conjunction with her touring in Iran. Those who appreciate classical guitar can enjoy the music of Lily Afshar on several CD recordings which have attracted international critical acclaim.

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