Iran’s cultural days open in Moscow with national orchestra performance
Iran’s cultural days in Russia officially opened in Moscow with a performance by the National Orchestra of Iran at the Bolshoi Theatre attended by the culture ministers of both countries and about 1,700 people.
The audience, mainly Russian citizens and people interested in Iranian culture, heard the national anthems of Iran and Russia before the orchestra closed the ceremony with a performance of “Iran Ostovar”, or “Steadfast Iran,” IRNA reported on Tuesday.
Iranian Culture Minister Abbas Salehi described the event as “not only an official event, but a renewal of a covenant between two civilizations”.
He said Iran and Russia had developed cultural, intellectual and artistic ties alongside their geographical proximity, and that cultural events could help build on those exchanges.
Salehi said this year’s program would give Russian audiences an opportunity to become more familiar with aspects of Iranian culture and arts.
Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova also stressed the role of culture in expanding bilateral ties, saying: “It is culture that gives this dialogue depth and content.”
She said music, theatre, cinema and visual arts could help people become familiar with each other and gain a better understanding of their traditions and cultures.
Lyubimova also described the joint performance of Iranian traditional instruments with symphonic music and works by Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky as a symbol of cultural cooperation.
The National Orchestra of Iran, conducted by Homayoun Rahimian and featuring vocalist Mojtaba Asgari, performed Iranian national music and a Russian piece using 20 Iranian and foreign instruments. The orchestra is also scheduled to perform in Kazan, western Russia.
The Iran Cultural Days program runs from Sept. 25 to Oct. 6 in Moscow, St Petersburg in northwestern Russia, Kazan and Astrakhan in southern Russia. More than 160 Iranian artists representing 30 fields are taking part, with programs covering music, Iranian film screenings, traditional arts, creative industries and specialist meetings.
The event comes as the two countries continue exchanging cultural programs. Russia held its own cultural week in June 2025 in Tehran, central Iran, and Isfahan, central Iran.
The program is intended to bring together artists and audiences through a broad range of cultural activities, while giving Russian audiences greater access to Iranian music, cinema and traditional arts.