| Issue 6
“I am so proud of everything we have
achieved. There is an extraordinary cultural
diversity in Doha now.”
such as Wael Binali, Hamad Al Naama, Nasser Nasseb,
and Dana Al Fardan. In the case of the latter, a project
called ‘The Beginning’ was recorded and filmed at the
Hamad International Airport runway with a Qatar
Airways A380 in the background.
The orchestra has also conducted two airplane flash-
mobs – when going on tour, it performs the music live on
the plane its musicians are travelling on, to the surprise
of other passengers.
The musicians are a happy family of different
nationalities. As they perform together, their closeness
is apparent because of one reason: music. They have
shared a momentous and highly successful musical
journey. And Kurt says there have been noticeable
changes in Qatar’s cultural scene since the orchestra’s
establishment.
the self-confidence of the orchestra. The drama was
extraordinary.” All members of the orchestra are soloists,
which demands the highest artistic level.
Unknown to Kurt during the 10 th anniversary
performance, which was broadcast live on television, the
skin of the soloist’s drum was damaged. On the final bar,
the skin broke.
“If it had happened three minutes earlier, we would have
had to stop the concert,” says Kurt. “For my own blood
pressure, I am so glad that I didn’t know at the time that
that was happening.”
Her Highness Sheikha Moza was there for the orchestra’s
first performance, and also for its 10 th anniversary
concert, allowing the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra to
showcase what it has achieved over the past decade.
Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra continues to balance
its repertoire between Arab and Western music. It has
achieved new heights by collaborating with local artists
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“At the beginning, there were less cultural events,” he
says. “Now you have galleries, jazz clubs, different types
of music. For each taste, you can find something. We
have people of every age in our audience.
“Our chamber music concerts at Qatar National Library
and the Museum of Islamic Art have different kinds
of audiences to the people we welcome at our regular
symphony concerts. I am so proud of what the orchestra
has achieved, and that there is an extraordinary cultural
diversity in Doha now.”