Cultural Network
Great music from the Commonwealth
Rezaul Karim
Music is the medium that Dorothea Sultana de Maria and Alison Cox are using to bring people together from across the Commonwealth countries. Their idea to stage a multicultural concert by 100 performers in Malta has given birth to "The Commonwealth Resounds!", according to a news report received from the Commonwealth Secretariat recently. This musical event will be held on the eve of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on November 25- 27. Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan will lead the Bangladesh delegation at the CHOGM. The Ngati Ranana Maori group will greet the audience at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta on November 24 before handing over the spotlight to a music group from South Asia, which will entertain with a blend of melodies from India and Pakistan. From the pulsating beat of the drums to the rhythmic sounds of the steelpan, the theatre will resound to the performance by the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force Steel Orchestra. They will also be entertained by the musical repertoire of the Cyprus State Orchestra and the Purcell School Trio from the UK. Traditional folk music from Malta and Ghana will take centre stage as well as the Ashe Performing Arts Ensemble of Jamaica. The evening is likely to end on a high note with the Cantores Sancti Juilani Choir of Malta keeping the 600-strong audience engrossed. "Commonwealth Resounds! aims not only to showcase talent, but also serves as a platform for friendship and understanding that can promote peace and unity. Music can transcend cultures, beliefs and politics -- it can foster collaboration and nurture creativity. I hope that this musical event will develop into a cultural network of musical artists and music lovers in the Commonwealth," said Dorothea, co-director of Commonwealth Resounds! Dorothea, who is also the Deputy Mayor of Warminster Council in the UK and Chairperson of the biennial Warminster Music and Arts Festival, teamed up with Alison, Head of Composition at the Purcell School of Music, who had organised a special concert at Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Royal Music Day in March 2005. "In organising Commonwealth Resounds! we hope to facilitate interaction between singers and musicians in the Commonwealth, which will generate energy, enthusiasm and enjoyment at a concert where the talent of the Commonwealth can resound in Malta and reverberate across the world," said co-director Alison. She expressed hope that the November 24 concert will unveil new talent and open the doors for accomplished artistes to perform in other venues around the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth Resounds! has been made possible through sponsorship by a number of Commonwealth governments. In his message, Malta's President Dr Edward Fenech-Adami says: "Music is certainly a means of communication, a universal language, and is indeed a dynamic and unifying force that has the power to overcome all social and economic confines."
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