Date : 10/02/2010
(with photos)
KUWAIT, Feb 10 (KUNA) -- Musicians from four countries began working
together at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) this week to create
material for two performances on February 14 and 15, for the British Council's
'Flavours of Sound' project.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, the British Council said that the
project "focuses on conserving local music traditions from all participating
countries, while also appealing to younger generations."
Led by Musical Director Andy Mellon (piano/trumpet) from the UK, the
featured musicians are: Ahmed Al-Ghanem (flute, Bahrain), Abdullah Bahashwan
(qanoon, Saudi Arabia), Brendan Kelly (clarinet/saxophone, UK), Giles Lewin
(fiddle, UK), Pete Flood (percussion, UK), Sam Carter (vocals/guitar, UK),
Sami Abdul Latif Al Shuwaitti (percussion, Kuwait), Abdullah Al Blushi
(percussion, Kuwait), Abdul Hamid Al Sagar (percussion, Kuwait) and Hussein
Abdul Rahman Al Khalaf (percussion, Kuwait).
According to the British Council, these musicians will be joined by other
guests and students from AUK for some sections of the performances.
Mellon was quoted in the press release as saying, "On the first day we
started playing around with a few ideas and ended up incorporating an English
hornpipe into the proceedings and even tried playing that in different Arabic
modes. We ended up with something incredible that highlighted why we were
doing this project - creating a synergy between our cultures and traditions
and proving that wherever you're from, music is a universal language.
"It is truly an honour to be working with such hugely talented musicians on
this project and I'm really excited about what we're going to achieve."
On his part, Kuwaiti percussionist Al-Sager said, "The project is a great
idea. We have learned more about UK culture and even increased our knowledge
of the music from other participating GCC countries. We have found that the UK
musicians are very interested in our music and are genuinely interested in
listening to the ideas we present regarding the songs. I am very happy with
the professionalism we are experiencing while working with the British Council
and the Arabian Heritage Project at AUK and I expect the project to be a huge
success! I never expected anything like this to happen in Kuwait and I am very
proud to be a part of it."
The musicians will work together until Friday and then enjoy some
well-earned leisure time in which to explore Kuwait, ahead of the two shows.
Performances are open to the general public and will be at 7:00 p.m. on
Sunday, February 14, at the Al-Maidan Cultural Centre in Hawally, and at 7:00
p.m. on Monday, February 15, at the AUK in Salmiya.
The project is being supported in Kuwait by the Arabian Heritage Project at
the AUK, Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyya and the Movenpick Hotel and Resort
Al-Bida'a. (end)
ema
KUNA 101448 Feb 10NNNN