Aref Ensemble
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aref ensemble (in Persian: گروه عارف) was one of the leading ensembles in Persian classical music of 20th century.
It was founded by maestro Parviz Meshkatian, Hossein Alizadeh, and Mohammad Reza Lotfi in 1977. The group was named after Aref Ghazvini, Iranian poet and composer of 18th century. Aref was dedicated to the promotion and advancement of Persian classical music and had huge impacts on Persian music. Some critics believe that Aref ensemble together with Sheyda ensemble (also founded by Parviz Meshkatian) revolutionalized Persian music.
In 1992 Meshkatian and the Aref Ensemble won the first prize of the Spirit of the earth Festival in England.
