Fifth String Festival ends at Katara today

The Fifth String Festival will conclude at Katara – the Cultural Village Foundation today. The festival features some of the biggest names in Oud music from Qatar, the Middle East and beyond, including France, Serbia and Kosovo.    “The event highlights the efforts of the Cultural Village Foundation to bridge the best of both eastern and western cultures, by providing a world-class venue to create an atmosphere befitting such an illustrious gathering of musicians,” Katara said in a press statement.Katara general manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti noted that the Oud festival comes as part of a series of initiatives that the Cultural Village Foundation adopts to intertwine art and culture. “The event bridges the gap between cultures, enforcing music as an essential pillar in building such bridges. The strings of the traditional wooden instrument, the Oud, create music that every person, irrespective of where he is from, can identify with,” he said.On March 18, performances by some of the finest Oud musicians in the world left the audience enthralled during the inaugural function of the festival at Katara Opera House. The opening ceremony took place in the presence of Katara general manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti and a host of other dignitaries, diplomats, music lovers and residents from all walks of life.The visitors “immersed themselves in an experience of a lifetime” as musicians, who included two renowned Oud players — Ahmad Fathi and Abadi al-Jowher — were present among the audience, the statement noted.The organisers of the event have made arrangements for a wide range of performances that would appeal to casual visitors as well as music lovers. These include concerts at Katara’s Opera House, performances at Ziryab theatre and an Oud exhibition in Building 19, Gallery 1, as well as Khaliji sessions in Building 19, Gallery 2.Five stages have been set up at the venue, where ensembles consisting of eight Oud makers are presenting unique ways of making of the traditional musical instrument in close proximity to the audience. The closing ceremony will also feature a dual performance by al-Jowher and Fathi.