Imagine a World Without Music

Afghan National Institute of Music website photo

How many readers shudder at the thought of no Ipods, no music download, no radio stations, no concerts?  Probably not one can envision a world without music, but people in Afghanistan were forced to live that way under Taliban rule.

Banned by the Taliban when it took control of Afghanistan in 1996, music returned to the country when Dr. Ahmad N. Samast established the Afghan National Institute of Music in 2010, after four years of fundraising and garnering support from the global community.  There, the Afghan Youth Orchestra formed and has a vision of performing around the world.   Many of the students are orphans or street children, some of whom had never seen a musical instrument.  Females comprise one-third of the orchestra, an astounding statistic, given their subjugation under the Taliban.

The United States State Department welcomed the Afghan Youth Orchestra February 4, and were treated to a special concert,  Newly-appointed Secretary of State John Kerry surprised the visitors and confessed he had played in a rock band in his yourth.  The AYO is led by violin teacher William Harvey and clarinet teacher Ustad Farid Shefta and comprises a combination of Afghan and Western instruments in its repertoire.

news.yahoo.com

On Thursday, the orchestra performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and will entertain  at Carnegie Hall February 12.  Funded by the US State Department, the World Bank, and other global supporters, the tour will last two weeks.  Dr. Samast, the founder, hopes that the AYO concerts will change the perception of Afghanistan and offer an example of how the culture has changed with boys and girls performing side-by-side.

Ham on Wry delights in this news because music is the message of the soul and transcends language barriers.  This blogger wishes AYO success on all fronts.