Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra Celebrates its 10 Year Anniversary

On February 26th, 2019, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) will be holding a concert to celebrate 10 years of beautiful symphonic music. The story of the QPO starts with its founding in 2007 by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, and its inaugural concert in 2008, conducted by American maestro Lorin Maazel. Since then, the Orchestra has performed in many prestigious places all over the world, such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, the opening of the Katara Cultural Village Amphitheatre, and the United Nations General Assembly. World premieres have included both Arabic and Western music: Marcel Khalifé’s Symphony of Return, Rami Khalifé’s Chaos for Piano and Orchestra, and Houtaf Khoury’s Angel of Light Piano Concerto. 

The mission of the Qatar Philharmonic, in its own words: 

The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra performs and promotes western and Arabic music in order to inspire the children and adults of Qatar and the Arab world to create and enjoy music. The Philharmonic is a member of the Qatar Foundation, which is supporting Qatar on its journey from carbon economy to knowledge economy by unlocking human potential. 

The QPO states the importance of its work in “[hosting] new and established composers, soloists and conductors of the Arab world.” Music is an important tool in sharing identity with the rest of the world. It creates peace and understanding between nations, and allows them to more easily relate to each other. The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra recognizes this fact, and is celebrating ten years of doing great work in elevating the arts and culture of the Middle East to the global stage.