TEHRAN-The concert tour of the Iranian traditional vocalist Alireza Qorbani has started in Canada and after two more performances, he will take his tour to Europe.

Having performed in Calgary (November 3) and Vancouver (November 5), the well-known singer will have performances in Toronto on November 11 and in Montreal the day after, Mehr reported on Monday.

Traveling to Europe in late November, Qorbani will hold seven concerts in three countries until early December.

The first European country he will perform in is Germany. On November 21, he will sing in Düsseldorf. Going to Frankfurt, he will stage a concert on November 26.

His next stop will be Malmö, Sweden, where he will have a performance on November 29. Returning to Germany, Qorbani will perform in Munich on December 1.

The Netherlands will be the third country in his European tour. The traditional singer will hold a concert in Rotterdam on December 2.

Back to Sweden, he will have his last performance in the tour in Stockholm on December 3.

Qorbani started his vocal lessons at the age of 12 and became a solo vocalist of the National Orchestra of Iran at 27. Three years later, he became a foreground singer of Persian song, having mastered the numerous scales of Middle Eastern music. Flawlessly controlling the rarest vocal techniques in singing, his very ramified repertory constitutes the radif (non- rhythmic) and the tasnif (rhythmic) techniques.

An artist of great calibre, Qorbani is deeply rooted in the tradition with an insatiable curiosity and open-mindedness towards other cultures. He has laid claims to being a worthy successor of Mohammed Reza Shajarian, the man regarded as the undisputed master of Persian classical song. He is attributed with dozens of musical albums, numerous live performances and concerts, and scores of international multicultural projects and festivals in many countries around the world. 

The versatility and creativity of his work is illustrated by his many collaborations with artists of various backgrounds, such as Alim Qasimov (Azerbaijan), Jobran Trio (France), Dorsaf Hamdani (Tunisia), Bombay Jayashri (India), Celia Woodsmith to name a few. 

In the late 2010s, the singer performed with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra in “A Persian Night,” the first of what would be many collaborations between the two. 

Qorbani is also the founder of the Voices and Bridges project, which brings together composers and musicians from diverse world music styles. Songs on the project feature lyrics by well-known poets such as Youshij, Rumi and Pablo Neruda. 

He also has a great deal of experience with cinema and television and has sung some of the famous pieces in many popular TV series. He is recognized as one of the most active traditional contemporary singers of Iran. 

SS/SAB