Qatar’s Rich Musical Heritage Embraces Influences From Around The Globe

When it comes to music Qatar has a rich heritage of melody from which to draw. From the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra to traditional Qatari songs we will look at how classical, traditional and folk music blend together to enhance Qatar’s musical culture. We will also examine how Arabic and Western symphonies can come together to augment a cross-cultural fusion in sound.

The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) is made up of more than 100 musicians from all over the world. Created in 2007, its aim is to inspire adults and children in the region, regularly performing a mixture of Arabic and Western symphonies at Katara Opera House.

The musicians have an intensive schedule. As well as practicing five days a week, in high season there’s usually one concert every weekend. The visiting young German conductor, David Niemann, is quickly establishing himself as one of the most gifted conductors of his generation, 

"You have Arab musicians, you have European musicians, from the Far East, really from almost everywhere. So it’s an eclectic interesting mix of cultures really and to work with them is, in that regard, a pleasure."

The mandate of the QPO is unique in that it extends beyond just performing, as explained by QPO Austrian born clarinet player Rony Moser, 

"This was very interesting to me – not just to live abroad but to be part of a new cultural project. And when we came here end of August 2008 it was a big mixture, more than 30 different nations inside the orchestra and of course everybody had certain levels of experience, but we started everything from scratch."

Nuturing Young Musical Talent 

But it’s not just established performers who are honing their skills in strings, woodwind and percussion. At the Qatar Music Academy there