What it means
کنسرت (konsert) means a live musical performance, usually by a single artist or ensemble before an audience. The word is a loanword borrowed into Persian from French “concert” (also present in Italian as “concerto”), and entered the Persian vocabulary during the period of increased European cultural influence in the late Qajar and Pahlavi eras. It is the standard, everyday word for this concept in modern Persian. A related term is اجرا (ejrâ), meaning “performance” in a broader sense.
How to use it
- امشب میری کنسرت؟ (Emshab miri konsert?) “Are you going to the concert tonight?”
- بلیط کنسرت گرون بود. (Belit-e konsert gerun bud.) “The concert ticket was expensive.”
- کنسرت ساعت نه شروع میشه. (Konsert sâ’at noh shoru’ mishe.) “The concert starts at nine.”
- بلیطهای کنسرت فروش رفت. (Belit-hâye konsert forush raft.) “The concert tickets sold out.”
Cultural note
Live music concerts have a complex history in Iran, particularly after 1979, when public mixed-gender concerts faced strict restrictions for many years. Over time, regulations evolved and concerts by approved artists, often with separate seating arrangements, became permitted again. Today, کنسرت is a common part of cultural life for many Iranians, and artists regularly perform in venues in Tehran and other major cities. For the Iranian diaspora, concerts by Persian-speaking artists are major social events.