The novel coronavirus pandemic has offered many people more spare time as they work from home. It is up to individuals how they utilise the free time they have on their hands. Perhaps more than anyone else, artistic individuals will explore unique ideas and create something new in their respective genres.
Razwan Bobby Sarwar is a British national of Pakistani origin. He is a composer, pianist and head of music at Sherborne Qatar. The musician has been working on a project to recreate a famous song of Michael Jackson to motivate and inspire people during the coronavirus outbreak and social distancing.
Razwan has been performing and teaching from a very young age and created his first music album at the age of 15. He started by learning the tabla and then continued to learn drums, keyboard and finally piano. He deems himself fortunate to be surrounded by many musical styles and musicians from around the world. 
His education as a music composer, educator and marketer continues to develop and support Razwan’s career. “I have continued to create and develop musical projects as an artist and as an educator. It includes conducting at the Royal Albert Hall (London) with over 1,000 pupils, developing an outstanding music department in various schools in England and at Sherborne Qatar. Our school choir has become the talk of the town with their versatility.
“I have organised events and projects all over the world and have been fortunate to also perform and conduct with many international artistes. I have a number of albums, singles and music jingles currently in the market and also have appeared on TV and Radio.”
In Qatar he and his choir have had the privilege to perform at Katara, Mall of Qatar, Sheikh Faisal Museum and Qatar National Convention Center. “My recent fame is a composition that was taken by the BBC to air with the World Athletics Championship in Doha. Millions of people around the world had the opportunity to hear this.”
As far as spending his time at home, Razwan has been busy in continuing to teach and encourage his students to stay positive and develop their musical knowledge and skills. “I have created a YouTube channel for my students to see the wonderful learning that has been going on at home. I am also working towards creative ways to teach music online and how to continue the passion of learning. Personally, I am also continuing to develop musical compositions and reflecting on this challenging moment.”
He added: “It’s important to stay at home and adhere to the rules and regulations in Qatar. Keep safe and healthy and the most important of all is to stay positive and keep smiling. This crisis will pass and we need to stay strong as a community.”
Razwan is working on many projects with Kidzania, Haydee Soul, a professional musician and composer; Katara, Mall of Qatar and with various organisations. ‘My recent composition Tumhi Ho has crossed over a million views – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erhC7aBfX7U”
Razwan is also working on many new compositions to inspire and motivate the community. “I feel music is a way to lift one’s energy. I have created a wonderful project with international artistes in Doha and aim to showcase the project in November. This will be a blend of different genres and styles of music. I am also working on to create a new version of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s famous quwali Tu kuja maan kuja. He is further working on a project to redo a famous song by Michael Jackson to lift the spirit of people during hard times.
“I have also done an arrangement of an Arabic song and working on a world fusion song with Rodrigo Alexandre Aguilera, international song writer and composer; and Haydee Soul, a professional musician and composer.”
Finally, the musician thanked all the health professionals who are at the frontline of this pandemic and the Qatar Government for providing the care and support to the community.