Musicians from Tajikistan’s Academy of Maqam are participating in the 4th international musical festival in Moscow, dubbed “The Musical Map of the World”, according to Tajik national news agency Khovar.
Organized by the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, the festival has reportedly brought together musicians from Brazil, Indonesia, Germany, Iran, Japan and the CIS member nations.
The leader of a movement to revive the tradition of Maqam in Tajikistan Abduvali Abdurashidov, Sirojiddin Jourayev, Jamshed Ergashev and Nasiba Omonboyeva are representing Tajikistan in the ongoing musical festival in Moscow.
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. 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.
The Academy is beneficiary and long-term partner of the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia (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.
