The concert included performances by pianist Hala al-Emadi and oud player Amir Ayyad. The jury comprised Khaled al-Salem, director of the Music Affairs Center; artist Nasser Suhim, executive vice president of Qatar Orchestra, and composer and arranger Mohammed al-Banna.
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HE the Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad al-Thani honouring Khaled al-Salem, director of the Music Affairs Center.
Among the pianists, Omar Yasser (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering) won the first prize. Mohamad Saeed and Lahdan al-Mohannadi from the Faculty of Engineering were the other contestants.
Yasser declared his fondness for the piano and said that music takes him away from life's problems. The members of the jury also commented on his performance that “he was creative and that all his chords were correct and harmonised with his playing and the beautiful feeling he showed.”
Among the Oud players, Hassan al-Kubaisi (College of Engineering) was first. Saud Aqeel (College of Economics) and Muharram Kazem (College of Arts and Sciences) were the other contestants.
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HE the Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad al-Thani presenting the first prize in Oud to Hassan al-Kubaisi as QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham looks on.
The jury commented that “al-Kubaisi used several tempos and variations, so that the Oud became an extension of his body and complemented it thanks to the techniques and dynamism he used to delight the audience.”
On the sidelines of the competition, artist Suhim, told Gulf Times: “As members of the jury, we have seen a remarkable development in the performance of the students, thanks to the intensive training provided by specialists, whether in the Oud or the piano. There was a previous cooperation between the Qatar Orchestra and the Music Affairs Center, and this distinguishes the latter as it supports young talents in all musical disciplines, including playing and singing. We hope to extend it to schools and universities in the coming years.”
Maryam al-Hammadi, Director of the Department of Culture and Arts, Ministry of Culture, said: “In this joint programme, the Music Affairs Center worked to discover and refine talents, through the Qatar University Youth Discovery Initiative, to celebrate the discovery of specialised musical talents.”
The competition was launched with the aim of developing the students’ musical sense, and discovering and developing their artistic talents, by Qatar University and in co-operation with the Music Affairs Center of the Ministry of Culture. The Music Affairs Center provided the technical support and set the criteria for selecting and evaluating applicants.