Pak-US ‘Sangat’ of emerging musicians to perform at Napa on March 20

Karachi 

A newly-formed group of young, accomplished and seasoned musicians, singers, composers and conductors from the Pakistan National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) and the Butler School of Music of the University of Texas will give a performance on March 20.

Dr Sonia Tamar Seeman, associate professor of ethnomusicology and director of the project called “Sangat”,  said on Monday the cooperation between the two music schools had become possible due to a student exchange programme that was “in essence an exchange of hearts and minds”.

“We can empathise with what Napa is going through,” she said at a press conference held to announce the Sangat between the two institutions. “It indeed requires a lot of effort to put into focus the music scene in Pakistan. However, I must say that it is breathtaking to see the growth in quality of the work produced by Napa over the past few years.”

She said the fact that a music institution in Pakistan was taking root was an impressive feat in itself because not only was music being taught but specialisation in classical and folk traditions was also being offered.

Seeman said the faculty and students of the Butler School of Music had a quality experience with their Pakistani counterparts and were also able to rubbish the myths prevalent about the country due to poor reporting.

Lee Ping Lou, an official of the US state department, said the three-year student exchange programme had seen fruitful results for both institutions. She said the main purpose of Sangat was to bring the US and Pakistan closer through music.      

Also speaking on the occasion, renowned music composer and Napa faculty member Arshad Mahmood said Sangat provided a platform for emerging artistes from both Pakistan and the US.

Moreover, he said, support from the Butler School of Music had helped Napa build its capacity.

He also gave credit to his colleague and the head of music department at Napa, Ustad Nafees Ahmed Khan, for playing an instrumental role for the project under his ambition of “bridging cultures through music”.