TEHRAN- Morteza Shafiei, the leader and founder of the Isfahan National Music Orchestra, passed away on Sunday after enduring months of suffering from illness. He was 40. 

Due to suffering from liver disease and developing a lung infection after a liver transplant, the prominent musician bid farewell to the world at Abu Ali Sina Hospital in Shiraz, Mehr reported. 

Born in Isfahan in 1984, Shafiei had a history of playing in the Iranian National Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of IRIB, collaborating with the Tchaikovsky Moscow Symphony Orchestra, and more. In 2012, he won the first prize at the Fajr Music Festival.

He studied playing under masters such as Hooyek Baghoumian, Ebrahim Lotfi, Ali Rahimian, Rebecca Halfmann, Ruben Gusemian and composition under Loris Tjeknavorian, Kambiz Roshanravan, Manouchehr Sahrai, and Amir Eslami.

SAB/