Dubai: The Afghanistan National Institute of Music (Anim) is set to make history on Saturday when it performs at the Royal Opera House of Muscat (Rohm).
It will be the first time in the history of Afghan music that a large orchestra comprised of young boys and girls represents the rich musical tradition of the country.
The momentous event at the most prestigious concert hall in the Middle East and South Asia is believed to stand as an inspiration for Afghan people, officials from the war-hit country said.
“By representing Afghanistan abroad, Anim will repeat the success of its many previous international tours including its historic tour to the USA in February 2013, during which Anim played sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Centre,” an Anim statement said.
“As a characteristic example of invaluable cultural diplomacy and exchange, Anim’s students will play alongside Omani young musicians from the Muscat Philharmonic, creating an opportunity for the youth of Afghanistan to directly communicate and work with the youth of Oman, an important and influential country in the Arab world.”
The combined orchestra will also clearly demonstrate the unity of Afghan people through music while also showing the symbolic readiness of Afghanistan to be a part of the international community, the statement said.
At the concert, Anim will be represented by the Afghan Youth Orchestra, conducted by Anim Violin Teacher William Harvey, and three smaller ensembles — the Young Afghan Traditional Ensemble and Rubab Virtuosi, both led by Anim Rubab Teacher Rameen Saqizada, and the Sitar and Sarod Ensemble, led by Anim Sitar Teacher Mohammad Ehsan Irfan.
Besides demonstrating their mastery of the orchestral and keyboard instruments of the Western classical tradition, Anim students will draw on their homeland’s own rich musical heritage, playing on traditional stringed instruments — the rubab, sitar, sarod, dilruba, tanbur, and ghichak — and the tabla drum.
One of the highlights of the concert will be the Omani premiere of AYO conductor William Harvey’s Guide to the Afghan Orchestra.
Inspired by Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and based on the Afghan folk song Bia ke birim ba Mazar, the work, narrated by Omani actor Issam Al Zadjali, will introduce audiences to the Afghan orchestra, in which Afghan and Western instruments perform together.
Founded by Dr Ahmad Sarmast, the Afghanistan National Institute of Music operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and is the first music school of its kind which provides music education and general academics to talented Afghan children regardless of their gender, ethnicity, religious sect, or economic background.
