'Music Unites' concert performed by CineMoon Ensemble and United States Air Forces Central Band at Qatar National Library on Thursday.
Doha: CineMoon Ensemble, a member of Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) and United States Air Forces Central Band (AFCENT) serenaded the public in an evening concert on Thursday dubbed “Music Unites!” featuring the music of the Broadway.
This is the first-ever collaboration between the two organisations wherein it played the most iconic and popular Broadway Musicals over the last decades.
Founder and director of CineMoon Ensemble, Merve Kenet Bulun, who also plays the viola at QPO, told The Peninsula: “We are representing the high music level and culture in Qatar, and we are welcoming the amazing AFCENT Band in our country where we call home.”
She explained their special production focused on the history of the Broadway between 1957 to 2004. “We performed the most famous and long lasted Broadway Musicals. We had special arrangements made only for this ensemble and collaboration, with a narrator who gave the audience information about the pieces and their importance in Broadway history in chronological order.”
The programme began with the piece West Side Story “Mambo” and concluded with Jersey Boys Musical pieces - “Can’t Take my Eyes Off Of You “and “Beggin’.” For vocal pieces, Adrianna Parson and Courtney Woods from the AFCENT Band were the soloists of the show.
On why Broadway music, Bulun said: “For this year, my inspiration came directly from Broadway itself. Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra had a special concert at the United Nations in New York City before the COVID-19 outbreak. And directly after our concert, we were running to Broadway with the biggest hope to get a ticket to any of the shows. It was such a beautiful memory of my life to attend this magical show — amazing musicians, singers, and dancers. That was my starting point to make a concert with Broadway musicals.”
Bulun termed the concert a “big cultural exchange.”
The concert was conducted by 1st Lt., USAF Michael Flynn who is also the Officer-in-charge of the US Air Forces Central Band.
Flynn told The Peninsula that the concert was a “journey through time.”
“This performance, “Music Unites,” is truly a multicultural collaboration: celebrating the hits from Broadway! I can’t think of a better way to close the concert season than with these toe-tapping favourites performed by the AFCENT Band and CineMoon Ensemble!,” he explained.
He added: “The AFCENT Band actively seeks out opportunities to maintain and enhance resolute partnerships with our host nation: musical collaboration resulting in the end goal of a shared Western Musical experience allows us to connect with the Qatari Community in a unique and meaningful way.”
The conductor also revealed that they practiced for 12 hours for the said performance. Meanwhile, Bulun said that it took her eight months to work on the project.
The concert took place at Qatar National Library. This is the third of the last concerts QPO will be conducting before it goes on a break in time of Ramadan. Yesterday, March 11, it played “Musical Journey” and on March 26, “Pearls of Music” both at Abdul Aziz Nasser Theatre at Souq Waqif.
The AFCENT Band is the only permanently assigned Air Force Band to the Central Command Area of Responsibility. Located at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, the band is comprised of deployed Airmen from Active Duty, Reserve and Air National Guard bands. Its 21-nation Area of Responsibility includes Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
