Iran's acclaimed Masters of Persian Music perform Oct. 8

The Masters of Persian Music, a true superstar lineup of Iran's greatest musicians, are touring North America during October and November, and will perform at Cornell's Bailey Hall Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 8 p.m. The tour is organized by World Music Institute, the nation's leading presenter of traditional music from around the world, and it is presented locally by the Cornell Concert Series.

The Cornell Concert Series presents the Masters of Persian Music Oct. 8 in Bailey Hall.

Tickets for the concert -- $16 to $26 for the general public and $10 to $16 for students of any age attending any institution -- are on sale now at the Ticket Center at the Clinton House, 116 N. Cayuga St., 273-4497 or (800) 284-8422, and at the Willard Straight Hall Ticket Office, 255-3430. Tickets also are available from the Cornell Concert Series web site at www.arts.cornell.edu/ccs . Student Rush tickets for $5 will be on sale Oct. 5 and 7.

The Masters of Persian Music tour offers audiences a rare opportunity to see four of Iran's most celebrated musicians together, artists who have changed the face of Persian classical music: Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Iran's legendary vocalist and winner of the UNESCO Picasso award, one of Europe's highest honors; Hossein Alizadeh on tar (lute), known for his groundbreaking compositions and soundtracks to award-winning Iranian films (Gabbeh, A Time for Drunken Horses); Kayhan Kalhor on kamancheh (spike fiddle), featured composer and performer with Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project and co-founder of Persian/Indian trio Ghazal Homayoun; Shajarian on tombak (percussion) and vocals, who, still in his 20s, already is displaying a maturity and quality of vocal style that seems set to follow the unique sound of his father

Western audiences' interest in Persian music has been growing steadily, along with awareness of this fascinating country's ancient cultural history. The enormous success of Iranian films, poetry, art and music makes the Masters of Persian Music tour more timely than ever. The Wall Street Journal calls the tour "a major event" and the Cleveland Plain Dealer calls their music "spine-tingling ... a once-in-a-lifetime experience."