"We always bring a message of peace and freedom in our music wherever we perform, because that is also the message brought by Iranian musical art," said Pouria Behtouei.
Pouria Behtouei, who plays the Santur instrument, explained that young people in Iran are exposed to traditional music through various means. According to him, the Iranian government provides facilities and convenience for young Iranians to learn the art of music.
“We have workshops for parents to get to know Iranian art. Iran also has music schools and many music professors there. Iranian youth are very interested in traditional Persian music and we have confidence in the future of Iranian youth,” he said.
He also saw a very good opportunity in the potential for collaboration between Iranian traditional music and various musical genres in the world.
"With good musical skills, Western and Eastern musical arts can produce good collaboration," he said.
Farhang has performed traditional Iranian musical works in various parts of the world. Pouria Behtouei hopes that their performance can enrich the musical arts treasures of the world community and that Iranian arts can be further recognized by the global community.
“We hope that Iran's musical traditions can become ambassadors for peace and friendship throughout the world. To show the richness of our culture to others. "We hope that the world community can get to know Iranian art better," he said.
The music group Farhang was founded by Hossein Yazdi in 2008, who plays his compositions and the works of others. Farhang members consist of Hossein Yazdi (spear), Ali Hossein (ney), Mahdi Shafiabadi (setar and vocals), and Pouria Behtouei (santur). The ensemble includes some of the best virtuoso instrumentalists in Iran who have performed at major festivals around the world and have many recordings to their credit.
