World-renowned Iranian musician and Kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor is set to take part in BT River of Music in the British capital of London.

Kalhor will join world-class Asian musicians in Battersea Park, one of the six venues dedicated to participants of the two-day music extravaganza from different continents.

BT River of Music will be held as part of London 2012 Festival, featuring a series of free performances at iconic sites along the River Thames on July 21 and 22, the weekend before the Olympic Games begin.

Other stages swill be set up in Battersea Park for Asia; Jubilee Gardens for Africa; Trafalgar Square and Somerset House for Europe; the Tower of London for the Americas; and the Greenwich Old Royal Naval College for Oceania.

Kalhor is known for his brilliant performances on the traditional instrument of Kamancheh and creating a unique mixture of Persian classical music with folk tunes of the Kurdistan region.

He has worked with many prominent figures of Persian music such as Mohammad-Reza Shajarian and Shahram Nazeri.

Kalhor has also composed and performed with Indian sitar player Shujaat Husain Khan and Indian tabla player Swapan Chaudhuri, with whom he formed the group Ghazal.

BT River of Music has been created and produced by Serious, one of the UK’s leading producers and curators of contemporary music.

The Olympic Lottery Distributor, Arts Council England and British Council also supported and funded the gala.

“We will be working with the most exciting artists from across the world and the very best of emerging British talent, staging some unique collaboration during the weekend,” said Serious director Claire Whitaker.

Organizers say the event will attract an audience of half a million people.
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News ID 182012