TEHRAN -- The 18th National Youth Music Festival wrapped up Saturday evening at Tehran’s iconic Vahdat Hall, spotlighting the country’s freshest young talents and honoring the next generation of Iranian music makers.
With heavyweights from the music world in attendance—including Muhammad Mehdi Ahmadi, acting head of the Ministry of Culture’s Arts Department; Babak Rezaei, director of the Music Office; and other key figures—the night was a celebration of not just competition, but cultural exchange, creativity, and legacy.
Over two weeks, 1,640 young musicians battled it out across three categories: regional and folk music, traditional Iranian classical (Radif-Dastgahi), and Western classical. After a grueling first round, 840 advanced to the finals, where winners were chosen not only on technical skill but on their ability to carry forward the country’s deep musical traditions.
Festival secretary Hamid Reza Ardalan stressed that the event’s core isn’t just about rankings or trophies, but about uniting youth from diverse ethnic backgrounds and fostering cross-cultural dialogue through music. 
He called for a permanent festival secretariat—right now, the organizational load rests on the Iranian Music Association juggling dozens of projects—and proposed founding an academy led by past jurors to nurture talent year-round. It’s a bold vision: treating these investments as long-term cultural capital, something many countries have recognized for decades.
Families of contestants voiced a pressing need for financial support, especially for young musicians traveling from outside Tehran, many of whom face high costs just to participate. Ardalan urged universities and arts institutions to offer special admission channels for top winners, amplifying their path to professional careers.
The festival also rolled out free masterclasses for top prize winners and produced 20 documentary shorts spotlighting standout talents, complete with English and Arabic subtitles, to ensure these rising stars gain recognition beyond borders.
In a historic first, the festival’s highest honor—the “Top Talent Award”—went to 14-year-old Nafas Khorramian Esfahani, whose virtuosity across three instruments (santur, tonbak, and ney) blew away judges. Her win signals a new generation of prodigies ready to shape Iranian music’s future.
Closing the night were electrifying performances by a classical horn quartet and a traditional Iranian ensemble made up of festival winners, underscoring the vibrant pulse of both worlds.
In a promising finale, Muhammad Mehdi Ahmadi committed to making Ardalan’s vision a reality, pledging to establish the permanent secretariat and work with the Ministry of Science to ease university admissions for winners.
The festival drew to a close with a stunning group performance by 14 top young tonbak players, signaling Iran’s musical heritage is alive and fiercely thriving—carried forward by the hands of its youngest virtuosos.