This year’s World Music Conference has once again been hailed a huge success.
The two-day festival, which attracted 34 speakers, over 200 primary school pupils from across the West Midlands and representatives from over 12 countries, was organised by the British Carnatic Choir and hosted by the University of Wolverhampton.
The core objective of this year’s event was to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of introducing music education to children at an early age.
The first day featured Chinese dancers, guitarist Pally Matharu and the National Polish Folk Choir. Chief guest Mr CB Patel, editor and publisher of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, along with Dr Paul Sabapathy CVO CBE and Dr Aman Puri, former West Midlands Lord Lieutenant and Consul General of India in Birmingham, respectively, presented awards to the following for their “outstanding” contributions to Arts & Culture :
- David Burbidge, Chairman, Coventry City of Culture
- Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Roberts, Principal Director of Music, British Army
- Sue Williamson, Regional Director, Library & Museums, Arts Council England
The second day featured panel discussions, each led by an eminent artist. The lead moderator was Dr Kevin Stannard, musician, composer and distinguished teacher. Topics included: Creativity & Curriculum; Building Communities through Music & Arts; Music & Mental Health; Music & Humanities; Music & Religion; Music & its influence in the workplace.
There were performances from artists representing several nationalities and communities. The list included, Indian, Chinese, Pakistani, lish, Romanian, Indonesian, African – to list but a handful.
The evening programme featured the popular British Carnatic Choir with participation from students from the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. Certificates were presented to participants and awards were bestowed upon the following individuals for their “remarkable role in promoting British Values through Arts & Culture”.
- John Crabtree OBE, Lord Lieutenant for West Midlands
- King Gurcharan Mall, world-renowned dhol player
Delegates were encouraged to sign a life-size ‘World Music Conference’ card which will be delivered to HM The Queen by the event chief organiser, Dr Chithra Ramakrishnan FRSA.
“We are hugely proud of HM The Queen and all that she does for our nation but also for the Commonwealth. This card is a token of our gesture to her for embracing the sheer cultural diversity that we have here in Great Britain”, said Dr Ramakrishnan FRSA.
Andy Street CBE, Mayor for West Midlands, had this to say:
“The festival is unique in its aim of bringing together artists, academics and music educators from across Africa, Europe, the USA and India.”
The World Music Conference, launched in 2017, aims to promote music from all over the world, focusing particularly on young children, providing a platform for them to showcase their talents, but to learn from each other too.
The event was once again supported by several organisations and individuals, promoting all professional sectors, in particular he Cultural and Creative Industries. To find out more visit www.worldmusicconference.co.uk
