NEWS
February 2010
ICCR Donates Musical Instruments to ANIM
On Thursday the 25th February, a diplomatic delegate from the Embassy of India, Kabul, visited ANIM to present over a hundred musical instruments donated by the Indian Consul for Cultural Relations. Mr Azizi, Acting Deputy Minister of TVET, Ministry of Education of Afghanistan accepted this gift on behalf of ANIM from Mr Mishra, Deputy Chief of the Indian Mission in Kabul.
The handover was celebrated at a special concert of Indian musicians including Ustad Allah-Uddin Khan and Ustad Nawab Khan. During the ceremony Mr Azizi thanked the ICCR and the government of India for this tremendous contribution to the rebuilding of Afghanistan’s music culture, and ANIM initiator Dr Sarmast acknowledged the long historical and cultural relationship between the two countries as evident in those instruments that had evolved from the bond of Afghan and Indian music.
January-February 2010
Netherlands hosts benefit concerts to raise funds for ANIM
ANIM would like to thank the efforts of Dutch cello player and music educator Marianne Vrijland and her colleagues for organising two benefit concerts over the holidays in the Netherlands to raise awareness of and funds for ANIM. This inspiring initiative brought together students as well as professional musicians working together towards the goal of ANIM.
Students (cello, recorder and piano) all performed a solo or duet as well as an ensemble piece in a wonderful show of support for their fellow students in Kabul. Along with raising funds for the purchase of equipment, one of the parents also donated a flute. The event was generously sponsored by local residents and small businesses of the city of Utrecht and picked up by the local media.
The funds raised (almost USD 5,000) will be used for the purchase of two trumpets, two saxophones and accessories for string and wind instruments.
Janneke, Vrijland, the Second Secretary of the Royal Netherland Embassy, Kabul, while accompanied by Mr Azizi, the Acting Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, Martin de Boer, Head of the Development Cooperation and Rent van der Waals, Chargé d'Affaires of the Dutch embassy. visited ANIM on Sunday 14 of February 2010 and presented Dr Sarmast with the gifts of the Dutch Children. ANIM students welcomed the Dutch diplomatic delegation with a small concert.
December 2009
Dr Sarmast Presented with the 2009 David Chow Humanitarian Award
In December 2009, Dr Sarmast was presented with the 2009 David Chow Humanitarian Award in recognition of his “brave and selfless” efforts to rebuild and promote music education in Afghanistan. Daniel Hales, on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the David Chow Foundation, thanked Dr Sarmast saying that, “…the lives of children have been enriched and a new generation has been given hope, opportunity and music! ...In a competitive and often dangerous world, your actions have certainly made a difference”.
The late David Chow (philosopher, economist, actor and martial arts expert) established his charitable foundation and this special award to encourage and recognise unselfish acts of kindness and humanitarianism around the world. www.davidchowfoundation.org
November 2009
ANIM the Focus of a Peace Concert
At a recent peace concert in the USA (14-16 November) the Juneau Community Symphony Orchestra featured the work of two Afghan composers: Eternal Revolution by Ustad Sarmast and Afghan Rhapsody by Mr Barak Wassa to raise awareness about and support for the Afghanistan National Institute of Music.
The annual Peace Concert was inspired by conductor Rick Trostel's realization of the power of art “to speak truth in ways that verbal language can’t”. The focus of this year’s event was Afghanistan and specifically ANIM as an organization contributing to the building of peace and unity in Afghanistan through music and education.
18 October 2009
Project for Rebuilding Music Education in Afghanistan and Establishing (ANIM) Receives International Award
The International Music Council (IMC) has awarded the project for Rebuilding of Music Education in Afghanistan and establishing ANIM, undertaken by Dr Ahmad Sarmast and the Ministry of Education, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the 2009 Musical Rights Award.
This prestigious award was given to this “courageous project” in recognition of its outstanding work in promoting and advancing the musical rights of the Afghan people through the creation of “new national institutions for music education in a country where musical life had been almost obliterated”.
The award ceremony was held at the Third World Forum on Music in Tunisia. In a moving speech IMC President Dr Richard Letts paid tribute to Dr Sarmast’s “great vision and resourcefulness and to the Ministry of Education’s recognition that this is a rare opportunity to heal and advance Afghan musical tradition and Culture”. Dr Letts continued that “every member of the International Music Council is inspired by this exemplary project and is watching with keen interest as Afghan children learn once again to perform both in Afghan Traditional and the musical genres that are understood internationally in order to take Afghan Music to the world”.
The IMC was founded in 1949 by UNESCO to promote musical diversity and support cultural rights for all www.imc-cim.org The Council advocates five key musical rights, with freedom of expression in music being the first at the basis of its constitution.
Dr Ahmad Sarmast received the award on behalf of the MOE and ANIM. Dr Sarmast said, “Receiving this award is a big achievement and it recognizes the strong commitment of Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan and all our partners (sponsors and donors), in advancing the essential musical rights which comprises the foundation of the constitution of the International Music Council”.
28 September 2009
ANIM’s establishment and progress was celebrated at a special event in Melbourne, Australia on the 23rd of September. Hosted by Monash Asia Institute, a partner of ANIM and Kazari Collector Gallery, Dr Sarmast spoke about the history and implementation of the project; ANIM's educational aims, its support of street working kids and orphans, and its critical role in revitalising and preserving traditional Afghan music.
During the evening a wonderful violin was donated to ANIM by a young violinist who wanted to contribute something personal and very special to support the kids at ANIM. The night also marked the publication of Dr Sarmast's book – A Survey of the History of Music in Afghanistan.
During his recent visit to Australia Dr Sarmast also discussed the possibility of building special relationships with some Australian music education entities, including the Victorian College of Arts Secondary School of Music, School of Music at the University of Melbourne, Conservatorium High School of NSW. The Australian parties promised their thorough support to ANIM and agreed to further explore possibilities of future collaborations.
3 September 2009
ANIM is delighted to announce that Goethe-Institute Kabul has identified the institute as a potential partner in its initiative to support long-term, sustainable music education programs that also actively play a role in reviving Afghan music traditions. In line with its belief that music and music education can build bridges between cultures and connect diverse peoples, Goethe-Institute’s decision also recognises the importance of ANIM as a place of learning that has the capacity to contribute to social cohesion and job creation for musicians and related industries.
In co-operation with ANIM, Goethe-Institute will support teacher-training programs, the development of textbooks and method books, and training programs for technicians to maintain and repair musical instruments at ANIM and the Music Department at University Kabul.
The agreement of support was signed on August 6, 2009 by Rita Sachse-Toussaint, Director of Goethe Institute Kabul, and Mohammad Salim Qayum, Deputy Minister for Technical and Vocational Education and Training of the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan.
3 August 2009
Across three weeks in July ANIM hosted a number of specialist international musicians to conduct music workshops for ANIM students. Musicians from USA Jazz Bridges – Dr Gene Aitken, (guitarist), Phil Dulap (pianist) and Coco York (singer) worked (1-5 July) closely with students to develop an appreciation of diverse jazz forms. The workshops of these musicians culminated in a dedicated Jazz concert in which students performed the pieces they had worked on. The visit from musicians of USA Jazz Bridges was supported by the USA Embassy and the Association of American Voices.
Separately renowned tabla player Pandit Samir Chatterjee, pianist Ekaterina Mihailova and vocalist Omkarnath Havaldar (11-21 July) conducted a series of highly intensive and specialised classes in which students were challenged to develop their existing skills in both Afghan traditional and classical music, and then to showcase what they had learned by performing to fellow students in a concert at ANIM on 21st July.
During this time, ANIM sponsored and hosted its first public concerts showcasing performances by Pandit Samir Chatterjee, Ekaterina Mihailova and Omkarnath Havaldar alongside local Afghan musicians Ustad Ghulam Hussain (rabab player), Ustad Amruddin (dilruba player) and Abdul Latif (tula player). The first concert was held at the Foundation for Culture and Civil Society on July 18th followed by a second concert at the Intercontinental Hotel. These concerts were respectively broadcasted by Arian and ART TV stations.
ANIM also facilitated the recording of a joint performance by Pandit Samir Chatterjee and Omkarnath Havaldar at Radio Television Afghanistan for public broadcast to ensure that this music is freely available and widely accessible to local Afghan people and students of ANIM.
28 July 2009
On 28th of July Dr Ahmad Sarmast on behalf of ANIM, attended an event held by the British Council for the presentation of a much needed outdoor concert stage for the institute. Until this time ANIM has not had any stage facility. This generous donation from the UK’s Cultural Relations agency is part of their strong commitment to supporting learning opportunities and sharing creative ideas to build lasting relationships between the UK and Afghanistan, and other countries worldwide.
July 2009
The building works for ANIM are now in full swing and expected to be completed within the next 3 months. The official opening for ANIM will be announced soon.