A Musical Path to Peace

Chamber music ensemble Cuatro Puntos celebrated the music and culture of Afghanistan in the grand finale of this year’s Gammons Concert Series on Monday, April 11.

Cuatro Puntos, a non-profit organization, aims to spread peace and understanding through the writing, performance, and teaching of music around the world. The group’s radiant energy and tight musicianship brought to life both western classical music inspired by Afghanistan as well as the traditional and popular music of the country.

The Groton concert, “The Rose Garden of Light,” began with the classical “Three Calligraphies for String Quartet” by Iranian composer Reza Vali. This piece, with musical material entirely derived from traditional Persian music, challenged the listener with intricate rhythms and difficult tunings.

The final piece, “Gulistan-e Nur (The Rose Garden of Light)” by Sadie Harrison, left a particularly lasting impression on the audience in Gammons Recital Hall. Each movement consists of a traditional Afghan song, in this case performed on video by the girls ensemble of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, and is followed by Harrison’s contemporary composition, which was inspired by the traditional song.

 

Performers included Aaron Packard and Annie Trepanier on violin, Steve Larson on viola, Allan Ballinger on cello, Holly Bishop on double bass, and the group leader, Kevin Bishop, on viola.

 

Before becoming a founding member of Cuatro Puntos, Bishop, while still in high school, was founder and director of the Western Society of Chamber Music, through which he helped transform the musical scene in his inner-city, low-income neighborhood outside Los Angeles. He led initiatives that created free lessons, scholarships, and performance opportunities for the underserved community. Bishop plans to move to Kabul, Afghanistan in June to direct the orchestras at the Afghan National Institute of Music. 

 

Those attending the Monday evening concert learned that the Taliban banned music in Afghanistan from 1996–2001; now, however, the lives of young Afghanis, especially young women, are being transformed through the study and performance of music.

 

Cuatro Puntos brought an evening of both global and musical education to the Circle as well as an awareness of the glorious music of Afghanistan.—Ivana Primero '17