Doha concert for Syrian cause to fete Pavarotti

‘Brave New World’, a concert to pay tribute to the legendary Italian tenor and classical artiste Luciano Pavarotti and in support of Syrian refugees, especially children, across the world, will be held at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) on February 1, 2018.
The event was announced yesterday by the concert organisers, Pavarotti Foundation and Rosso Italiano. Italian ambassador Guido De Sanctis lauded the efforts being made by Qatar in hosting an event of this magnitude to be held in support of a noble cause that would go a long way in promoting brotherhood.
“It is a real privilege to welcome the Pavarotti Foundation in Doha and to be part of this challenging endeavour to help the displaced Syrians recover from the ongoing conflict,” the envoy said while reminding that his country is a strong advocate for education and an active supporter of the Syrian cause.
 The announcement of the concert for which Dana Alfardan composed the song ‘Brave New World’, coincides with the 10th death anniversary of Pavarotti.
The show would feature a mix of Western, Italian and Arabic music and culture. Qatari musicians Ali al-Abdusattar and Fahad al-Kubaisi have embraced the project, said the organisers.
Luciano Pavarotti Foundation president, founder and wife of Pavarotti, Nicoletta Mantovani, said their foundation was extremely pleased to host the concert, which she said is the first of its kind ever in the entire Middle East.
While appreciating the gesture of the Doha organisers, Mantovani said her husband always had a place for Qatar as he had performed some of his successful concerts here and some of his ardent fans and followers were from this country. Rosso Italiano managing director and co-founder and Brave New World executive producer Laura Somma thanked the Qatar Foundation, Doha’s Italian Embassy and Pavarotti Foundation for their trust and generosity in securing commitments from all partners between Italy and Qatar.
“We have finally gathered all the right partners to make this event a moment to remember,” she said.  
Somma said their company hoped to convince additional partners to join their team in the coming months for making the concert a major experience for the country’s residents.
Rosso Italiano CEO Essa al-Zeyara said, “the concert along with its vision to support displaced Syrian families is in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and its human development pillar to build key milestones in the field of education.
 He added, “with a combination of the Italian cultural heritage and the Qatari musical and cultural tradition, Brave New World is an event that the world has not seen yet.”
Composer Dana Alfardan, Rosso Italiano COO Ali al-Haj, QNCC’s events and marketing deputy director Abdulrahman al-Ajail, and St Regis Doha sales director Deep Kumar also spoke at the press conference.

Victims of war
The late Pavarotti’s wife Nicoletta Mantovani recalled that her husband too was a child heavily hit by the brutalities of World War II.
“The Syrian children too face a similar situation these days, unable to pursue their education and deprived of many advantages that their more fortunate counterparts are having in other parts of the world,” she said in Doha yesterday. Mantovani said Qatari composer Dana Alfardan, who composed the song `Brave New World’, captured the emotions of the Syrian cause and the courage needed to pursue a new world into the lyrics in an exceptional manner. “I would like to express my highest gratitude for Dana’s generosity, creativity and commitment to this concert,” she added.