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Afghanistan: Broadway, Theater and Traditional Music in Kabul
Afghanistan: Broadway, Theater and Traditional Music workshops and performances in Kabul. Photos by Daniel Wilkinson of U.S. Embassy Kabul
Afghanistan: Broadway, Theater and Traditional Music workshops and performances in Kabul. Photos by Daniel Wilkinson of U.S. Embassy Kabul
American Voices spent one week in Kabul in late October giving workshops at Kabul University as well as at the newest arts education institution in the country, the Vocational Institute of Music, a high school program training aspiring musicians for a career in music as well as preparing them for university. Many of the school’s students are orphans or blind, and the institution is doing admirable work in their first year in giving these disadvantaged youth an education that will last a lifetime.
The program started memorably with buying a Clavinova during a middle of the night layover in Dubai. We then had to beg Dubai airport authority to allow it on the plane as oversize and overweight baggage. Somehow our charm and desperation worked and we did get the Clavinova to Kabul where it now resides at the Vocational Institute of Music.
One element of our program involved preparing Afghan traditional and pop songs with Zabih Jawanmard, a specialist in the songs of Ahmad Zahir, aka the Afghan Elvis for his transcriptions into Dari in the 70s of Elvis hits such as ‘It Now or Never’ and ‘Love me Tender’. American Voices’ Michael Parks Masterson and John Ferguson joined in on Afghan favorites such as ‘Leyli Jan’ and prepared joint performances with the orchestra of Afghan National Television.
Unfortunately, our final gala concert at the Afghan Radio and Television was cancelled due to a bombing at the Ministry of Culture that morning, but our other five days in Kabul did result in several television broadcasts reaching millions of Afghan homes through Tolo TV and live performances for the Daniel Pearl Music Festival and at the U.S. Embassy.
Perhaps one of the biggest achievements of the project was being able to give movement workshops to the theater students of Kabul University. We had originally planned to focus on theater exercises, but the students were begging for movement classes which culminated in a short but historic performance together at the University. We hope to be back soon with a summer music and theater academy program featuring six faculty from the U.S.
We would like to thank the U.S. Embassy as well as Ronco's Kabul office for their generous support of the program.
American Voices returns from India, Afghanistan and Thailand
