TEHRAN -- Ali Rahbari, the conductor and music director of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra (TSO), has asked President Hassan Rouhani to settle the financial problems the orchestra.

He made the request in a letter published on Wednesday.

In 2004, just a year before the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidential election, Rahbari was invited from Austria to reorganize the orchestra, but he quit the following year over the low salaries paid to the musicians.

In March 2015, he was assigned to restore the Tehran Symphony Orchestra.

�I express thanks to you for the efforts you made to reopen Tehran Symphony Orchestra. I, Ali Rahbari, a graduate of the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and conductor of symphony orchestras in Brussels, Prague and Zagreb, and winner of several international gold and silver medals, ask the president to look into the severe financial condition of the orchestra,� reads part of the letter.

�As the music director and representative of about 130 musicians at the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, I once again ask to find a solution for the revival of this public sector and prevent its collapse after months of restless endeavor of the musicians,� the letter added.

�Your correct assessment and support was a big boost for the despondent musicians of Iran and we formed a great orchestra, despite huge problems, comprised of a unique team known for its high quality work and its discipline.

�I personally would like to inform you that the personnel of the orchestra, including 80 young and talented musicians and the 50-member choir, are working together but are threatened every week or even daily by the orchestra�s closure due to lack of facilities and budget.

�All this time and with the cooperation of the respected musicians, we have performed the programs but now if the president personally does not step in and dedicate a budget to remove the obstacles, the orchestra would surely collapse once again after all these years,� the letter concluded.

By Tehran Times