Renowned Iranian guitarist Lily Afshar dies at 63
Renowned Iranian classical guitarist, Lily Afshar, the first woman in the world to receive a doctorate in classical guitar, died on October 24 at the age of 63 after a prolonged illness.
Afshar was one of only 12 international guitarists chosen to study under the legendary Andres Segovia at the University of Southern California, where her exceptional talent shone. Segovia once made a prediction on NBC evening news that Afshar would someday become a celebrated musician, a prophecy she fulfilled with grace and dedication, IRNA wrote.
Afshar’s passion for contemporary music led her to become one of the first performers of works by renowned composers such as Reza Vali, Gary Eister, Gerard Drozd, Loris Chobanian, Arne Mellnäs, Kamran Ince, Barbara Kolb, Merlin Zimprich, and Salvador Brotons, among others.
Throughout her career, Afshar held numerous concerts in countries including Iran, the United States, the UK, Ireland, Canada, France, Denmark, Italy, Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and South America. She also graced prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall in London, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Grand Teton Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, the Banff Centre, Manton Music Festival, and the American Academy in Rome.
The Washington Post described Afshar as “extraordinarily pure, superb, and remarkable.” She received the Orville H. Gibson Award for being the best female classical guitarist.
Afshar’s writings about the Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Francesco da Milano, in multiple languages, were published in Guitar Review, Ai1 Frornimo, and Guitar and Lute.
In addition to her remarkable career as a guitarist, she served as a professor in the Music Department at the University of Memphis.
Lily Afshar was laid to rest in Tonekabon, a city in Iran’s northern Mazandaran Province, on Wednesday.