Guitarist Lily Afshar is a virtuosa who brings passion to her performances.  Acclaimed as “one of the world’s foremost classical guitarists” according to Public Radio International. Her unique life story finds expression in her art. The Washington Post has described her onstage performance as “remarkable, impeccable.” She is the only classical guitarist in the world who blends excellent formal training in the United States and Europe with the rich cultural heritage of Persia to present to audiences an extraordinary musical experience.

What brings excitement to a performance by Lily Afshar is her remarkable technical precision plus a passionate musicality that is the product of her personality and life story. Appearing onstage in the United States and around the world, she has delighted audiences not only with a fresh approach to the standard classical guitar repertoire, but also with music that is new and different. Afshar introduced quarter tones on her 2006 CD Hemispheres by adding fretlets to her guitar to reproduce accurately the tones required by an eclectic repertoire of new compositions and arrangements.  Performing as a soloist at Wigmore Hall in London, she included the quarter-tone pieces as part of the program.  

England’s Musical Opinion Magazine praised Afshar for her “fresh sense of programming” and “her ability to draw listeners onto the edge of their seats….” Embracing her Persian heritage, Afshar has not only performed her arrangements of Persian and Azerbaijani pieces; she has also fascinated concertgoers with occasional live performances on the seh-tar, a traditional Persian instrument which evolved over many centuries into the guitar. Afshar taps the ancient root of the instrument which predates its arrival in Spain from Persia via the Arab conquest of Andalusia in the eighth century A.D. Her performances always include music that is as rich and beautiful as a Persian miniature or tapestry.