For many people, remembering their childhood years, their school, and the TV programs they used to watch brings a sense of happiness, fires the imagination, and makes them long to revisit the past – if only for a moment.

Now anime and cartoon fans in Qatar can take a trip down memory lane through a musical concert organised by Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra at Katara Children’s Festival on Tuesday. Led by conductor Giovanni Pasini, the orchestra will perform music from old and new anime and cartoons in various languages, and will team up with Qatar Concert Choir, Qatar Music Academy, Qatari pianist Hala Al Emadi, Japanese singer Itaru, as well as young Qatari talents whose artistic disciplines range from painting to singing.

The idea for the concert came from Mohammed Fakhroo, Marketing Specialist at Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, a member of Qatar Foundation. Fakhroo, who is also the concert’s creator, said the musical event aims to widen the artistic tastes of an audience that will include people from different age groups.

“At Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, we focus on providing new and diverse programs that highlight the role of classical music in various artistic fields, whether in animation, video games, movies and others,” he said. “Through this concert, we are seeking to connect classical music with childhood memories, to help us reach more groups in the community.”

Speaking about what the performance will offer, Fakhro said: “The audience will hear music from some of the most famous Japanese anime and cartoons, such as Pokémon, Astroganger, Ninja, and The Wonder Boy. The concert will be a tourist attraction for Qatar, and we are working on making it an annual concert that many institutions in Qatar can join in with.’’
22 male and female Qatari painters will take part in the concert, with their work being displayed on large screens to provide the audience with a visual treat alongside the musical performance.

One of the participants, painter Rashid Al Kuwari, said: “The efforts of Qataris who are participating in the concert will have an active role in its success.

“It is a great opportunity for me, and for other Qatari artists who will gain experience and the motivation to create their own cartoons in the future.”

Aside from classical music, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra has previously performed concerts of video game music. It also joined the Japanese Embassy in a concert at the closing ceremony of the Ajyal Film Festival 2018, where anime and cartoon music were performed.

Tickets for the November 26 performance are available at http://qatarphilharmonicorchestra.org


Source: https://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/25/11/2019/QPO-to-organise-concert-at-Katara-Children%E2%80%99s-Festival


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