UN DAY CONCERT TO BE HELD IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY HALL, MONDAY, 25 OCTOBER

Note to Correspondents

UN DAY CONCERT TO BE HELD IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY HALL, MONDAY, 25 OCTOBER

Kuwaiti National Orchestra, Kuwait TV Band to Perform

This year’s celebration of United Nations Day will be marked by a concert given by the Kuwaiti National Orchestra and the Kuwait Television Band in the General Assembly Hall on 25 October beginning at 7 p.m. (United Nations Day, 24 October, falls on a Sunday this year.)

General Assembly President Jean Ping, Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Nabeela Abdulla Al-Mulla, Permanent Representative of the State of Kuwait, will make opening remarks.  Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, will introduce the programme, which will consist of musical performances by the Kuwaiti National Orchestra, led by Conductor Ahmad Hamdan, and traditional songs and dances performed by the Kuwait Television Band.

The Kuwaiti National Orchestra was formed in 1996 to promote excellence in music and revive the country’s folkloric musical traditions, which constitute one of the pillars of Kuwait’s cultural heritage.  The Conductor of the Orchestra, violinist Ahmad Hamdan, was born in Kuwait in 1965.  Mr. Hamdan obtained a master’s degree in musical composition and conducting from the University of Sorbonne, Paris.  He has composed several musical works and received the Kuwait National Award for Creativity in 1986.  Mr. Hamdan hosts radio music programmes and has published research papers on music.  He has conducted a number of worldwide concerts and has been the director of the Kuwaiti National Orchestra since April 2000.

Major performances of the Orchestra in Kuwait include the Annual Al-Qurain Festival, the Promotional State Award Concert and the Annual Concert in honour of musicians.  The Orchestra’s international tours include Bahrain and Egypt (1999), Venezuela (2000), and Tokyo (2002).

The Kuwait Television Band came into being in 1978, and its music reflects and keeps alive Kuwait’s rich cultural and artistic heritage.  The Band has performed traditional music and dance rhythms in many international festivals, enthusing audiences by the unique energy of drums and poetry of the Arabian Peninsula.  Among international performances were the Festival of Kuwait Information Week in the United States (2000), the Festival of Kuwait Information Week in the United Kingdom (2001), and the Asian Games in the Republic of Korea (2002).  The Band has performed extensively in Kuwait, including at the time of the visits of the President of France in 1980 and the Prince of Wales in 1989.

The United Nations Day Concert is organized each year by the United Nations Department of Public Information to mark the anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter on 24 October 1945.  The 2004 concert is sponsored by the Government of Kuwait through the Ministry of Information.

Accredited correspondents who wish to attend the concert should call:  212) 963-6934.  For further information, call Slava Cherkasov at (212) 963 5097

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