TEHRAN -- Iranian conductor and 
composer Ali Rahbari is set to lead the Mariinsky Orchestra in two upcoming concerts at St. Petersburg’s historic Mariinsky Theatre, continuing his longstanding collaboration with one of Russia’s leading cultural institutions.
Rahbari, who has regularly appeared on the Mariinsky stage since making his debut there in July 2022, will conduct the orchestra on November 6 and 13, 2026. His engagements follow a series of performances across Russia, including concerts in St. Petersburg and Sochi, as well as previous collaborations with renowned Russian conductor Valery Gergiev.
The November 6 program brings together Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Divertimento, Aram Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto, featuring Russian violinist Maxim Fedotov as soloist, and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8.
The November 13 program includes another Mozart Divertimento, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, also known as From the New World.
Rahbari has established an extensive international conducting career, working with more than 120 orchestras worldwide. His previous appointments have included principal guest conductor positions with the Czech Philharmonic, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Orchestra. His Mariinsky 
engagements have also provided opportunities to introduce works by Iranian composers and performers to international audiences.
Among these collaborations are performances featuring Iranian tenor Reza Fekri, violinist Amin Ghafari and tar players Aydin Olyanasab and Mahsa Kharati, alongside works by Iranian composers Amir Mahyar Tafreshipour and Mehran Rouhani.
Meanwhile, Iranian musicians Pouria Ghelich Khani and Ahmad MirMa’soumi have received a Silver Medal at the 15th Global Music Awards for their collaborative composition Nature’s Enigma: 706, recognized in the Cinematic New Age category.
The work combines Ghelich Khani’s piano melody and composition with MirMa’soumi’s orchestral arrangement, bringing together musical inspiration drawn from the natural world and the expressive possibilities of orchestral music.
Ghelich Khani, a photographer and multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersection of art and environmental concerns, developed the composition around the relationship between music and nature. His visual experiences and engagement with the natural environment provided the initial inspiration for the piece.
MirMa’soumi subsequently expanded the composition through orchestral arrangement, using instrumental layering and sonic depth to create an expansive, cinematic soundscape.
Speaking about the project, Ghelich Khani described the relationship between art and environmental protection as a longstanding concern in his creative and research activities. He said the collaboration with MirMa’soumi had been particularly meaningful, describing the composer and orchestrator as a major influence on his musical development.
He dedicated the award to Iran’s natural environment, which he described as an enduring source of artistic and intellectual inspiration.