A chance for children in Oman to learn from Jacaranda Ensemble

Energy Tuesday 24/January/2017 22:13 PM
By: Times News Service
A chance for children in Oman to learn from Jacaranda Ensemble

Muscat: Children in Oman will have the opportunity to learn from some of Europe’s finest musicians when the Jacaranda Ensemble returns to the Sultanate this February.
The group, comprising five classical musicians, received critical acclaim during their tour of Oman around the same time last year, and will be looking to repeat their success this time around as well. Jacaranda will be conducting a workshop at the British School Muscat on February 5, a day before their concert at the Al Bustan Hotel.
The quintet consists of Sebastian Pietsch, Richard Mosthaf, Thomas Hoffmann, Thomas Ringleb and Matthias Dressler, who are members of the Brandenburg Orchestra in Germany.
In addition to playing more conventional instruments such as the saxophone and drums, they also merge niche ones, including the didgeridoo and alpenhorn, into their music, making for a very unique rendition of tunes.
They will also be hosting workshops in collaboration with the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra and Petroleum Development Oman during their 10-day stay in the country.
“The workshops will be very interesting because Jacaranda is always trying to invent new sounds by combining instruments differently, and these instruments are not often found in Oman,” said Ahmed Abouzahra, the General Manager of Arabesque International, the event management company which will be organising Jacaranda’s stay in Oman.
“They will teach the students how to play instruments and will also show them how to make musical sounds from objects in daily life,,” he added.
“Last year, Jacaranda musicians were very interactive with the audience as well, and given that they have a new programme, this year will be very interesting.”
Abouzahra said Jacaranda is sure to inspire those who wish to take up music as a career.
Educating next generation
“I believe it is good to start educating the next generation at a young age,” he said. “Bringing international artists who are very interactive with their audience certainly helps. They are going to interact with children and inspire them, because children are normally more welcoming towards new ideas.”
Jacaranda will also be playing at a private reception at the home of the German Ambassador to Oman on February 2.
“Last year’s concert was held at the auditorium of the Ministry of Education,” said Franz Dicken, the Deputy Head of Mission for the German Embassy in Muscat. “I don’t know how many seats are there, but all of them were taken. The concert was really good and the people really loved it.
“They also performed for the guests at the residence of the German Ambassador in Shatti, and while you don’t often see it happening at a reception, the fact is that people were dancing,”added Dicken.
“They had very unusual musical instruments and they put them together in a way I had never seen or heard anywhere before. It is a very special thing that
they do.”
Dicken was also looking forward to seeing the musicians interacting with the students in Oman. “Last year, the pupils liked the workshop so much because these five musicians are professionals and they know how to entertain them and get students interested in what they do,” he told the Times of Oman.