DOHA: The British Paraorchestra recently performed along with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) for its first ever concert in the Middle East at Katara Opera House.
Entitled Souls in Harmony, the concert was part of Sasol’s ongoing ‘Definitely Able’ corporate social responsibility initiative. The concert was attended by the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, British Ambassador Nicholas Hopton, South African Saad Cachalia, and Qatar Foundation for Social Work President Saeed Rashid Al Kaabi, among others.
The British Paraorchestra is the wworld’s first professional ensemble of disabled musicians.
Marjo Louw, President of Sasol Qatar, said: “As a member of the Qatari community, Sasowl is pleased to host the first-ever appearance of the British Paraorchestra outside of Europe. We thank the Paraorchestra for sharing their talents with us, and for the model they set for achievement. We extend our gratitude to the talented Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra for lending their able support to the concert and being such wonderful co-hosts. This ‘souls in harmony’ performance is a reminder to us all that with opportunity, support and dedication, anything can be possible.”
“The British Paraorchestra and I thank the patrons for the overwhelming response we received from the audience and the amazing hospitality extended to us by our friends at Sasol. Collaborating with the (QPO) and raising awareness of the talents of people with disabilities has been a truly phenomenal experience,” said Charles Hazelwood, founder and conductor of the British Paraorchestra
The concert opened with the performance of the soundtrack Time from the movie Inception by film composer, Hans Zimmer which was chosen for its relevance to the cause. As Hazelwood highlighted, “the movie’s plot is about entering people’s dreams and that’s what we are trying to do with our music; get into the minds of the audience and change their perceptions about disabled musicians”.
To further the ‘Definitely Able’ message, the Paraorchestra visited the Al Noor Institute for the visually impaired, where they played music and interacted with students. Students had the chance to hear, touch and feel different instruments to further understand the role of each instrument and musicians within the orchestra.
On Thursday, the Paraorchestra visited Souq Waqif and surprised visitors on the streets with an impromptu performance. The crowd was amazed to find that the musicians had a variety of disabilities with some on wheelchairs and others with impaired vision.
The Souls in Harmony concert aimed to expand on the success of Definitely Able, emphasising the importance of offering equal opportunities to all citizens in society irrespective of their disabilities.
The Peninsula
