CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Qatar

Winners of inaugural Nagham contest revealed

Published: 15 Sep 2020 - 08:46 am | Last Updated: 03 Nov 2021 - 08:03 pm
Mia Park Torchinsky, winner in the piano category at the inaugural Nagham Competition, organised by the Music Affairs Center.

Mia Park Torchinsky, winner in the piano category at the inaugural Nagham Competition, organised by the Music Affairs Center.

By Raynald C Rivera | The Peninsula

The winners of the inaugural Nagham Competition organised by the Music Affairs Center was announced on Sunday on the Center’s official website and social media pages.

From among the 19 finalists, eight winners in four categories were chosen based on the decision of the jury and votes by the public. Videos of the finalists’ performances recorded in the Music Affairs Center production studio were posted on the Center’s YouTube channel on August 9, and public voting ran for  over a month to determine the audience choice winners.

In the piano category, Mia Park Torchinsky won the jury’s nod while Nidhikshana Paul was declared audience winner. In the other instruments category, the winners were Abdulrahman Al Sowaidi (jury) and George Samir Dayoub (audience).

Winners in the Arabic singing category included Hashim Al Yafie (jury) and Ahmed Yaqoub (jury) while in the English singing category the winners were Arianne Sayegh (jury) and Nidhikshana Paul (audience).

Each of the winners chosen by the jury will receive QR15,000 while the winners selected via online voting will each take home QR10,000.

A final event which will see the awarding of the winners will be held, date and time of which will be announced soon, said the Music Affairs Center in its social media post.

The diverse lineup of finalists comprise Qataris and residents hailing from different countries, including Lebanon, Bangladesh, Syria, the UK, India, Egypt, Yemen, and Oman.

They were selected from among the many submissions by an esteemed jury to advance to the next stage of the competition. The competition, which was opened to amateur musicians living in Qatar of any age and nationality, was divided into two main categories namely singing and solo performance of any musical instrument. 

Under the Department of Culture and Arts at the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Music Affairs Center continues to play an active role in supporting music activities in Qatar, developing talents and spreading the culture of music to citizens and residents.

It has been organising events for the community such as music festivals which focus on reflecting the importance of cultural diversity of the communities residing in Qatar and reflect the ministry’s vision of stressing the importance of opening up to other cultures, in addition to concerts featuring prominent artistes and important musical compositions.