On the heels of SBO’s recent coverage of the fledgling National Youth Symphony of Iraq, a similar organization from Afghanistan is set to fly the United States for a concert tour On the heels of SBO’s recent coverage of the fledgling National Youth Symphony of Iraq (story here: http://www.sbomagazine.com/431145/upclose-2/paul-macalindin-the-national-youth-orchestra-of-iraq/), a similar organization from Afghanistan is set to fly the United States for a concert tour highlighting changes in the war-torn country since the ousting of the Taliban, who famously banned the playing or making of music.
Some 50 students from Afghanistan’s National Institute of Music and 12 faculty members are scheduled to play at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, and a series of other renowned venues over the next few weeks. The orchestra also includes girls, who were prevented from attending school by the Taliban who ruled Afghanistan for five years before being ousted in the 2001 US-led invasion for sheltering Al-Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks. All students are aged between 10 and 20 years old.
During its performance tour across the U.S., the orchestra plans to play a variety of pieces, including traditional Afghan and Western classical music.
The school operates under the education ministry with large contributions from Western donors, and sponsors for the US tour include the World Bank and the US State Department.
