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| Nader Abbassi and the QPO |
The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) will bring music and art to life for children and families at four concerts at the Opera House at Katara Cultural Village on May 23 and 24.
The concerts will feature Russian composer Modeste Mussorgsky’s much-loved work, “Pictures at an Exhibition”.
Proceeds from the four concerts will go towards helping children with special needs through Hope Qatar.
Conducted by maestro Nader Abbassi, two concerts will be held on May 23 for students from English-speaking schools and on May 24 for children from Arabic-speaking schools.
There will also be an evening concert on May 24, open specifically to families.
At all the concerts, a member of the Philharmonic will introduce the music to the audience.
Over 100 pieces of artwork by the students, inspired by the music, will also be displayed during the performances.
Students at Al Bayan, Doha English Speaking School, Al Markhiya, Omar Bin Khatab and Shafallah primary schools created the images at workshops led by the Philharmonic.
“’Pictures at an Exhibition’ is a tribute by Mussorgsky to his friend, the painter Viktor Hartmann. His music depicted Hartmann’s paintings,” QPO managing director Kurt Meister said.
“At our performances the children’s artwork will depict Mussorgsky’s music.”
The Philharmonic will donate the proceeds from ticket sales for the concert to Hope Qatar, a non-profit organisation supporting children with special needs.
The Philharmonic has been an active supporter of Hope, having organised a joint concert as part of its Message of Hope 2010 series which featured a young musician with special needs from the US who performed with the orchestra.
“The support for Hope is a great demonstration of the orchestra’s commitment to socially oriented activities in Qatar and the region,” Hope Qatar board member Rajeev Mathew Thomas said.
Tickets to the family concert on May 24 at 5pm are available at Virgin Megastores.