FULL CONCERT LINK "Since its collapse into Taliban control in 2021, the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has plunged to new depths. In addition to many other oppressive restrictions — most notably their crackdown on women’s rights — the regime has effectively banned all forms of music within the country. After shutting down the country’s only music school and turning it into a military outpost overnight, they began destroying every musical instrument they could find and per

How can 'hope' be represented in music? Hope for what and for whom? For Mohammad Qambar Nawshad ‘hope’ is fundamental to human life and...

Re-reading the English translation of Mohammad Sharif Saiidi’s Baran, I find myself shivering again and again as I linger on each line...

It is difficult to begin writing about Meena Karimi's composition Dawn without feeling a burn in my chest and a lump in my throat—it's...

The third piece on the Orchestral Music of Afghanistan: Looking Forward concert and the focus of this blog post, is Arson Fahim’s Dance...

Enrobed in an elegant waltz, Zalai Pakta's Heart That Burns encapsulates a poignancy and complexity of feeling: the sweetness and joy of...

In my blog yesterday I said that I was going to write a series of blogs featuring each one of the compositions performed on the 'Looking...

On 5 July 2022, an extraordinary event took place in London. Nine new compositions by Afghan composers were performed by the Oxford...