*QPO stages 10-year anniversary concert

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), on Tuesday attended the 10-Year Anniversary Concert of Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) at Qatar National Convention Centre.

The gala concert was also attended by former prime minister and foreign minister HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani and HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of QF, as well as other dignitaries.


Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser attended the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra 10-Year Anniversary concert at Qatar National Convention Centre on Tuesday. The orchestra was led by world-renowned Conductor of Honour Dmitrij Kitajenko.

Renowned conductor Dmitrij Kitajenko was the Conductor of Honour at the anniversary concert, which featured international guest artistes such as Moslem Rahal on nay, Charbel Rouhana on oud, Feras Charestan on qanun, Mohamad Osman on bouzouq and George Oro on tabla.

With an almost identical programme to Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s inaugural concert, which was conducted by Loren Maazel, the evening included performances of Maurice Ravel’s 'Bolero' and Marcel Khalifé’s 'Arabian Concerto'.


The QPO concert in progress.

Established over a decade ago by Her Highness Sheikha Moza, the orchestra – a member of QF – strives to advance the promotion of Middle East composers, with an integral part of its work including hosting new and established composers, soloists and conductors from the Arab world.

Kurt Meister, executive director of QPO, said: “Ten years ago, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra started as an ambitious musical project designed to bring music appreciation to Qatari audiences. It has since grown into a world-class orchestra, featuring some of the best musicians from around the globe, all established within their own right. We have toured internationally and brought our fusion of Arabic and Western cultural expression to Qatar, the region and the rest of the world -- through music.”

The orchestra has been recognised on the world stage on multiple occasions, with highlights including international tours in the Middle East, Europe and the US. It has performed in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall in London, Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris and the Syrian Opera House in Damascus. Machaille al-Naimi, president of Community Development, QF, said: “Tonight, we celebrate a decade of Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra entertaining, enlightening and inspiring the community of Qatar through music. The orchestra reflects Qatar Foundation’s commitment to nurturing creativity, fostering social interaction, and enhancing the cultural fabric of Qatar.”

Works that have received their world premiere courtesy of the orchestra include Marcel Khalife’s 'Return Symphony', Jean-Charles Gandrille’s 'Violin Concerto', Abdalla El-Masri’s 'Oud Concerto', Rami Khalife’s 'Chaos for Piano and Orchestra', and Houtaf Khoury’s 'Angel of Light Piano Concerto'.

QPO has also found new ways of introducing symphonic music to a wider audience in Qatar, from multimedia concerts that blend live symphonic music with the distinctive sounds of video gaming, to film music concerts with compositions from movie classics such as 'The Matrix' and 'Star Wars', QF has said in a statement.

Some of the orchestra’s musicians are passing their love of music to a younger generation, who can learn both Arabic and Western musical instruments through Qatar Music Academy, a member of QF.



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