LAHORE: Over five decades old five-day All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) started at Open Air Theatre Bagh-i-Jinnah, the traditional venue of the conference on Tuesday.

The lush green surroundings of the theatre, dim lights, tea and coffee stalls and music gave the venue a look of its own.

The conference has made a huge contribution towards introducing new talent to music fanciers and revitalising classical and semi-classical music through seasoned musicians and singers.

The APMC was founded by the late Hayat Ahmed Khan and some other music fanciers in 1959 for promotion of classical music in Pakistan. Ever since its inception, it has been a constant source of inspiration for music lovers nationwide.

Many renowned musicians and singers like Roshan Ara Begum, Akhtari Bai, Rasoolan Bai, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and Ustad Ghulam Hassan Shaggan have performed at the APMC concerts.

A good number of audiences had gathered at the Open Air Theatre for the inaugural day of the conference on Tuesday. There was a competition among students for Javed Ahmed Qureshi Trophy, Ghazanfar Trophy, Roshan Ara Begum Shield, Syed Wajid Ali Trophy and Jamil Mazar and Mazari medals. The amateur singers competed for Hayat Ahmed Khan Trophy and Ansari, Abdul Aziz, Pervaiz Murad and Ahmed Meraj medals.

There were performances by vocalists and instrumentalists on the first day of the conference. The vocalists sang folk, ghazal, and semi-classical. The instrumentalists’ performances included the music instruments such as flute, tabla and sitar.

The evening opened with a folk song Akhian Lagian Jawab Nahi Dendian, sung by Afnan Nauman, Nazar Mushtaq sang Ahmed Faraz’s ghazal, Shola Sa Jal Bhuja Hoon, Asharat Ali sang Mohsin Naqvi’s ghazal, Ye Hum Nay Dekha Tha Khawab Piyary. The performances were going on when this report was filed.

The conference will continue until Nov 25.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2017