05:00 pm
Dr. Ahmad Naser Sarmast Founder of ANIM
Dr. Willi Steul Ethnologist
TRAD. · „Rag-e Pilo”
AHMAD ZAHIR · „Migam Ke Dustet Dāram” (I Say that I love you), arr. Tiago Moreira da Silva
AMIR JAN SABOORI · „Sar-zamen-e-man” (My Motherland), arr. Tiago Moreira da Silva
USTAD ZAKHAIL · „Pa Loyo Ghro” (On the High Mountain), arr. Tiago Moreira da Silva
USTAD M. S. SARMAST · „Ay Shakh Gul” (O Flower Branch), arr. Tiago Moreira da Silva
TRAD. · „Ey Shokh” (O Playful One), arr. Tiago Moreira da Silva
USTAD AWAL MIR · „Mast-e Mang-e” (Cup of Ecstasy), arr. Tiago Moreira da Silva
TRAD. · “Horse Dance of Badakhshan (Raqs-e Asb)”
“Noor wa Omid” – “Light and Hope” – this future-facing motto is the title of the concert by the Afghan Azada Ensemble. Since its musicians had to flee the Taliban in 2021 into European exile, the ensemble has stood for more than the rich cultural traditions of its homeland – it stands for resilience, freedom and optimism.
The ensemble’s repertoire spans the bridge from traditional ragas to folk dances and instrumental versions of popular songs. The musicians effortlessly merge the sonic worlds of Afghan instruments such as the rubab or santur with the characteristics of cello, flute and clarinet. The range of musical culture of their homeland is illustrated impressively in such different pieces as the contemplative “Rag-e Pilo”, the playful “Ey Shokh” and melancholy lamentations. With the “Horse Dance from Badakhshan”, traditional Afghan dance also finds a place on stage. Thus, the Azada Ensemble pays tribute to the Nomad roots of its culture, reinterprets timeless melodies of its homeland, and lends them fresh expressive power – full of energy, hope and determination.
The musical performance is flanked by a conversation between the founder of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, and the ethnologist Dr. Willi Steul, in which the moving story of the ensemble’s musicians will play an important role. Thus, the concert and its protagonists deliver a powerful signal against oppression, against silence – after all, “azada” means “free”. The conversation will be held in English.
In its music, the Azada Ensemble of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) unites the rich history of Afghan musical traditions with the creativity and sensibility of young musicians in exile. The name Azada, which means “free” in Dari, is programmatic: traditional instruments from rubab to santur merge with western instruments such as the cello and clarinet, timeless melodies are freshly interpreted, and the repertoire transcends genre boundaries. With its moving concerts, the ensemble has appeared on stage in France, Spain, Norway and Switzerland. At “FUTURE NOW – Tomorrow’s Traditions Today”, the members of the Azada Ensemble will be supported by additional ANIM students, members of the Pamir Ensemble. Together, the 13 young musicians perform impressive melodies and rhythmic dances from the Badakhshan region.
Musicians:
Ahmad Emad Karimi (Tabla) | Alina Essari (Flute) | Hadia Saboor (Santur) | Jawad Mohammadi (Rubab) | Keramat Akseer (Rubab and Dance) | Maisam Nabizada (Harmonium) | Mohammad Murad Sarkhosh (Ghichak) | Mohammad Ramiz Safar (Rubab) | Murtaza Sarkhosh (Flute, Rubab and Dance) | Mustafa Sarkhosh (Zerbaghali) | Shabana Gulestani (Sitar) | Shekila Nazare (Clarinet) | Zeenat Hanif (Cello)
Dr. Ahmad Naser Sarmast is an internationally renowned music pedagogue and ethnomusicologist with a doctorate degree in music from Monash University, Australia. A trumpet player and son of the famous Afghan composer Ustad Mohammad Salim Sarmast, he escaped from Afghanistan for the first time during civil war of the 1990s, when the Taliban first ruled Afghanistan and music-making was banned. When the political situation changed, Dr. Sarmast returned to Kabul in 2010, founding the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), Afghanistan’s first coeducational music school which taught both traditional Afghan and western classical music. The Institute supports talented young musicians, focusing on access for marginalized young people, including girls, orphans or children working in the streets. After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Dr. Sarmast led the evacuation of the 273 members of ANIM to Portugal. Dr. Sarmast and the ANIM have received numerous international awards, including the Polar Music Prize, the honorary membership of the Royal Philharmonic Society and prizes of the Asia Society and the International Music Council. His work has been the focus of numerous international media and documentary films. Dr. Sarmast lives in Melbourne with his family.
The former general director of Deutschlandradio (2009-2017) has a remarkable biography: after studies in England and France and earning a PhD in ethnology, Steul spent almost 5 years studying blood vengeance in Afghanistan during the 1970s, teaching intermittently at the University of Kabul before turning to journalism for good. From 1979 and the Soviet intervention, he worked as a correspondent for ARD radio in Afghanistan and Pakistan, later in Greece, Turkey, and Switzerland, for the UN and, in 1991, as a correspondent in the Gulf War. In 1994 he joined Deutschlandradio in Berlin as an editor in chief. In 1998 he became associate general director of the SWR and director for Baden-Württemberg; in 2009 he returned to Deutschlandradio as its general director. Dr. Willi Steul was awarded the German Cross of Merit and is a Commandeur of the French Ordre national du Mérite. He is one of the co-founders of Young Euro Classic and has been chairman of the Circle of Friends of European Youth Orchestras e.V., which has presented the festival since the year 2000.