November 12, 2006	Sunday	Shawwal 19, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 11: Try to merge culture, music, language, and gender, and what you get is an amazing mix of East and West. Rehearsing at the Lok Virsa premises, preparing for the Sunday evening performance, it was a delight to watch a merger of culture, music and gender.

Mocci Ryen, Ingrid Kindem and Hildegunn Oiseth, the three female musicians from Norway, had created quite a stir in Pakistan when they first performed in the country last year with a local band Fuzon. After that there was no looking back. This is their fifth trip in which they will perform Suron ke sang sangeet ke rang in the capital on Sunday night with two Pakistani vocalists, Chand and Suraj, sons of Ustad Hussain Bukhsh Khan.

“We are lucky to have some great musicians working with us. Great musicians make great music,” says Mocci Ryen, the vocalist of the trio, while talking to Dawn in the short coffee break she took from her rehearsal.

In the West, it is not like here in Pakistan, where you are born in a musical family or raised a musician. In Norway, you can choose if you want to be a musician or not. Level of you talent really decides what level you can make it.

Can you make a living out of music in Norway? “Well, it’s always a struggle. All of us since we were kids did something music related. Many people have to take up jobs with it. We are very fortunate that not only we live by it, we can travel around the world. That’s probably most rewarding.”

“I am still struggling. As an artist one can never stop learning,” adds Ingrid Kindem, who is at the keyboards and also in charge of the programming. “The day you think your are good, you should leave it. It’s important to keep learning. We learn from Asians and I hope they learn from us. Learn the difference and the remarkable similarities between Pakistani classical ragas and Norwegian scales in our music and in our culture!”

“It’s strange how music can bring you at the same platform and remove all boundaries and barriers of language or culture,” says Hildegunn Oiseth on the trumpet. Hildegunn, who has worked with folk musicians in Greenland and Iceland, feels ‘great’ to work with Pakistani musicians. “The important part is to have time to play together. You don’t have to talk, but play more.”

Mocci, who is also a goodwill ambassador on HIV and AIDS, feels very strongly about the subject. “I have friends who are living with HIV and I speak about it whenever I can.” Ingrid feels musicians are role models for the people and they should use their popularity in a productive way, and “never let go of a chance of giving a good message because you have an audience”.

Both Ingrid and Mocci have done many school concerts for children. “At such interaction and encounter with the young, one realises the enormous impact you have on young minds so it is an amazing power you have on stage. But you have to pick your moments — never misuse it,” adds Ingrid.

The two male artistes from Norway are Borre Flyen on the drums and Oyvind Madson on the Bass. Shallum Xavier, the guitarist of Fuzon, continues to collaborate with FRYD artistes. On the tabla will be Bashir Khan, while Baqar Abbas will play the flute.

The group wants ‘to take this fusion music back to Norway’, and hopes this project can go further and Pakistani artistes can also come to Norway to perform with them. — Huma Khawar