RCM musicians perform for royalty in Qatar

Friday 15 March 2013

Musicians from the RCM have performed for royalty during a recent visit to Qatar.

RCM Artistic Director, Stephen Johns, and two Masters students, Sarah Joyce (cello) and Joseph Devalle (violin), have just returned from a few days in the capital city of Doha, where they worked with young musicians from the Qatar Music Academy to present a performance at the Katara Cultural Village for Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.

In the performance Stephen conducted works by Purcell and Shostakovich, while Sarah and Joseph combined with RCM alumna Amira Fouad, Artistic Director of Qatar Music and Arts, to play the Andante from Mendelssohn’s D minor Trio. Qatari schoolchildren also played a selection of Arab music. 

Their Royal Highnesses enjoyed the performance, which was given outdoors, and spent time afterwards talking with all the performers. The Prince, who is President of the RCM, reminisced about his own studies on the cello. 

The three RCM representatives also took time to visit the English Speaking School in Doha, to give performances, masterclasses and an introduction to the RCM at the city’s Yamaha showroom, and to visit the famous Souq Waqif, the large market of Doha.

The Qatar Music Academy opened in January 2011, and caters for both western and Arab musicians of school age.