April 30, 2007

Authentic Afghan Music

The Noor Wodjouatt Ensemble

Listen to the performance (mp3, 27.4MB, 29 min.)

The school community completed its yearlong exploration of the culture of Afghanistan with a moving performance of traditional Afghan music by the Noor Woodjouat Ensemble. The exploration began with an all-school read of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini last summer.

Noor Wodjouatt, a native of Kabul, Afghanistan, came to the United States from France in 1990. In addition to learning music from his brother, Bassir, he studied classical music with his cousin Wali Raoufi (a pupil of the famous Indian musician Ustad Ali Akbar Khan), and violinist/vocalist Ustad Dilshad Khan.

In 1990, Noor released the album City of Love, which continues to garner international acclaim. His style of singing is considered light ghazal and incorporates Rumi lyrics, as well as text by his uncle Ustad Ghulam Ahmad Naweed, a popular Afghan poet.

Noor has led his ensemble in performances at the Dance Festival of India, the Asian Pacific American Heritage Reception, and the Washington (D.C.) Folk Festival. Last year, he was the first Afghan performer at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage and the U.S. Department of States.
Their performance at Taft was sponsored by the Diversity Committee and by the Paduano Lecture Series.