DUSHANBE, March 29, Asia-Plus — To celebrate Navrouz, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in Tajikistan will host a reception for representatives of the Tajik government, members of the international diplomatic community, and public dignitaries on March 30. This event, planned as part of the celebrations commemorating the Golden Jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan, will take place at the Indian Center for Cultural Relations in Dushanbe.
Ms. Sitora Shokamolova, Communications Officer, AKDN Dushanbe Office, said that the event will include an exhibition of children’s artwork on the theme of Navrouz. The art-pieces were created by children at specially organized master-class workshops led by preeminent Tajik artists. Traditional Tajik handicrafts will also be exhibited.
The main feature of the event is a ceremony recognizing the 2006 Grammy nomination of the Academy of Maqam in Dushanbe. This is the first ever nomination of Tajik musicians for this acclaimed international prize. The Academy of Maqam was nominated in the category of “Best Traditional World Music Album” for their CD recording entitled “Invisible Faces of the Beloved”; it is a performance of Maqam-I Rast, one of the six maqams that make up the classical Shashmaqam repertoire. The disc is part of a 10-volume “Music of Central Asia” series that is co-produced by the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia (AKMICA) and the Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. AKMICA, a program of the global Aga Khan Trust for Culture, also directly supports the Academy of Maqam and other music schools and talent centers throughout Central Asia.
The recognition ceremony will be followed by performances of the Academy of Maqam and other traditional music and dance groups.
This reception is part of a series of events organized by the AKDN to celebrate Navrouz this year. Last week, Cross-Border concerts were organized in Tajik and Afghan Badakhshan. The concerts brought musicians from both sides of the Panj River together in the spirit of mutual cooperation and sharing of cultures and traditions. The concert in Afghanistan was attended by approximately 10,000 people, who came from throughout the province, most of whom were participating for the first time in an event of this kind.
The Academy of Maqam was founded in 2003 by Abduvali Abdurashidov, a leading music scholar and celebrated performer classical music (Shashmaqam). The Academy offers comprehensive training to highly qualified students in historical, theoretical, and practical elements of Shashmaqam. Currently, eight students are enrolled in an intensive four-year course of study, and another six students have completed a portion of this program and remain professionally involved in performing and teaching Tajik classical music. Students who qualify for graduation earn a diploma validated by Tajikistan’s Ministry of Education. The Academy’s curriculum includes fifteen different subjects ranging from vocal technique, performance on musical instruments and music theory, to the history of world religions, analysis of classical poetry, and Persian language. Students in the Academy are active participants in the AKMICA’s Touring Program
The Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia (AKMICA), a program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, was created in 2000 by His Highness the Aga Khan to contribute to the preservation, documentation, and further development of Central Asia’s musical heritage. These goals include revitalizing important musical repertories by helping tradition-bearers pass on their knowledge and craft; building sustainable cultural institutions that can eventually be maintained by local organizations and communities; and supporting artists who are developing new approaches to the performance of Central Asian music. Worldwide, the Music Initiative strives to increase knowledge about Central Asia’s music and culture, particularly among students, and to nurture collaborations among musicians from different parts of Central Eurasia and beyond.
The Grammy Awards are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the recording industry. The awards ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and some of the more prominent Grammy Awards are presented in a widely-viewed televised ceremony. The current President of the Academy is Neil Portnow. The Grammys are considered the highest music honor, and is the U.S. recording industry”s equivalent to the Academy Awards (Oscars) for motion pictures.
