Cultural Entrepreneurship and Music’s Sustainability in Iran
My path into cultural entrepreneurship began with music. I started learning music in early 2005, when I enrolled in Hadi Sepehri’s daf class. My cousin Kiomars, who was studying setar at the time, encouraged me by saying, “Daf is very easy—you can learn it in a year or so.” My first visit to Hadi’s apartment, where he lived and taught, remains unforgettable: instruments hung on the walls, a large bookshelf stood beside the entrance, and framed photographs of musicians filled the room. Some students were practising their instruments while others worked through music-theory exercises. From that day onward, music became an essential part of my life, even though I later pursued an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering.
In 2009, I became Hadi Sepehri’s partner in running the Delshodegan Music School in Karaj. The school combined his musical expertise, professional reputation, and teaching licence with my financial investment and involvement in its administration and daily operation. This partnership became my principal experience in cultural entrepreneurship, requiring us to balance artistic and educational goals with budgeting, staffing, student recruitment, programming, and the practical responsibilities of sustaining a cultural organization.
Since its establishment, Delshodegan has faced periods of economic recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, political unrest, and the effects of conflict and instability in Iran. Despite these challenges, we have kept the school operating, created employment opportunities for music teachers and staff, and contributed to the cultural life of Karaj. We have organized numerous student concerts, and many former students have continued into university music programs or become music educators themselves. For me, Delshodegan demonstrates how a small cultural enterprise can create lasting educational, professional, and community impact, even under difficult social and economic conditions.