Last week, a group of musicians from Afghan performed in Carnegie Hall. This is no ordinary group - it is a group of young people ages 10-21, mostly orphans, who have been educated at the only music school in Afghanistan. Music was once forbidden by the Taliban. Can you imagine your life without music? There are places in our world where this is the norm.
The group is supported by the US Department of State, the World Bank and other sponsors. There are nearly 50 musicians in the group.
The Afghan Youth Orchestra, featured in this news article from the Today Show, has been in operation for only 2 years. It is led by William Harvey, an American violinist, conductor and composer who lives and teaches in Kabul.
Traditional Afghan instruments such as the rubab, the national instrument of Afghanistan, and the long-necked sitar, an ancient instrument of Indo-Afghan musical traditions, and the sarod, another plucked Afghan instrument, like a rubab but fretless were some of the featured native instruments.
I wish I could have been there!
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