RPI's EMPAC announced that Iranian hand drummer Mohammad Reza Mortazavi will not be performing as scheduled March 3 because of the new immigration ban in the United States. "Due to President Trump’s executive order preventing immigration and visiting visas to the U.S. from a number of countries, we regret to announce that we will not be able to obtain the necessary artist visas for this concert. We hope to offer a related program in its stead," a statement on the web page for the concert says. EMPAC, located in Troy, says Mortazavi is, "considered one of the most innovative and virtuosic hand drummers in the world, he has dominated elite international competitions since the age of nine. Mortazavi is most well-known for re-envisioning the traditional ways of playing the Tombak—an ancient Iranian goblet-shaped drum—and developing over 30 new striking and finger techniques, not always to the delight of old masters."