The popular Edinburgh International Festival with its bright and innovative manifestations is ready to present the audience with a great choice of performances. This year the spotlights turn to the Aga Khan Music Programme (AKMP), and the performers and composers developed by the programme offer a breathtaking spectrum of music.
A Fusion of Tradition and Innovation
Aga Khan Music Programme-AKP was created by Aga Khan Development Network a world’s religious nonprofit organization for the promotion and development of Muslim music. Thus, it acts as a cultural mediator, contributing to the development of the music culture of regions that range from the Middle East and North Africa to South and Central Asian countries. Audience that attends performances at the Edinburgh International Festival is privileged to watch artistic productions that incorporate traditional arts with modern-day features in a play.
Highlight Performances
- Homayoun Sakhi: Afghan music is of deep and great beauty and Sakhi, the virtuoso of the Afghan Rubab, is proof of this assertion. The complexity of his melody and rhythm satisfies the listeners by taking them deep into Central Asian music.
- Wu Man: Being a foremost pipa player Wu Man in collaboration with AKMP artists emphasizes the cultural exchanges that the programme creates. She performs songs which are old and new at the same time; which gives a vibrant representation of how even the most early, instruments can still be relevant in today’s society.
- Aynur: Born of Kurdish origin in Turkey, Aynur’s fabulous voice that reaches souls supplemented by passionate lyrics reflects the vivid histories of the country. The main subjects of her songs reflect a life of a Kurdish the themes are love, grief, and hope.
Cultural Exchange and Mutual Understanding
That the independent AKMP artists are booked to perform in the Edinburgh International Festival proves that the festival is very keen on exchanging culture and tolerance. The function of such artists is not only in the representation of the possibility of the composition of diverse popular music scenes in the world but also in the potential promotion of a constructive dialogue between different kinds of audiences.
The AKMP’s mission aligns with the broader goals of the Edinburgh International Festival: especially to reconcile people using the language that belongs to everyone’s music. The shows of the AKMP artists are a standing testimony to how the world can be one irrespective of differences and how art has no language.
Educational Initiatives and Workshops
Besides that, some educational programs and trainings can be seen as a part of the festival among which there are activities performed by the members of AKMP. Such meetings allow the audience to familiarize themselves with the epochs and cultures, in which the musical genres originating from them are rooted in, in addition to potential social implications of the music. As part of the objects, the participants have a chance to communicate with the artists and know the approaches and principles used in performing the artworks.
A Global Celebration
I must say that having chosen Aga Khan Music Programme artists to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival is indeed a great way to show the world how music is so powerful in times of unity and inspiration. This is music, musical achievement, and it is also a cultural feast of the kind of world we live in. All the while, people watch the performances and are taken to the light and richness of your culture and the importance of music in restoring and enhancing it.
Unfortunately, in the modern world tolerance and different cultures’ respect have become urgent issues and the Edinburgh International Festival’s focus on the Aga Khan Music Programme artists is an inspiring gesture at the present moment. It is a marking of music history, music today and music to come, and as a reminder of the ability art has to bring people together.
