He told the state-run ISNA news agency: “I have been playing in the Tehran Symphony Orchestra for years and I’m also working on the orchestra’s new structure.

“There are no concerts at all and the orchestra has limited itself to only once-monthly projects and organization programs.

“Officials pay the performers’ wages with long delays and pay them on credit. What you see here is not symphonic orchestra, it’s a catastrophe.

“The salary of members of Tehran’s symphony orchestra is equal to the city hall workers, yet we have studied music for years.

“If you don’t want the music and orchestras, then close them down. It is not clear what they want to do? Perhaps they should stick to pop music because it’s more profitable for them.”

He added: “Many performers in Iran’s orchestra have migrated abroad and now are playing for foreign orchestras.

“The music office should be considering concessions for the educated artists, not cancelling concert.

“We obtained a license to perform a concert in March but after two months of preparation it was finally cancelled. Nobody asked what happened to three million Tomans we spent on rehearsals.”

All pre-revolution music was banned after the mullahs seized power in 1979, because they said music’ came between the faithful and God, and leads to an impure mind’.

Since then, only a handful of concerts have been performed in the regime in more than 30 years.