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EXCERPTS FROM AN ARTICLE BY Annemarie Middlemast: MIGRANT MUSICIANS-GLOBAL SOUNDS EASEY MAGAZINE, SUMMER 2004 |
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In Melbourne, the population of our non-English speaking citizens is nearly 100,000. There are some of the world's greatest musicians amongst that mob and, as an audience at large, we're doing the bare minimum to support them. Take the Sitar maestro Ustad (Master) Khalil Gudaz. He was born in Afghanistan but, having fled the threat of the Taliban, he moved to India to study Northern Indian classical music, in particular, the Sitar. Since completing his Masters in Sitar under a Guru in India, he has gone on to win the prestigious Musician of the year in Afghanistan he's been named "sweet fingers Khlail Gudaz" from a music school in Kolkata, India and has won numerous other titles from India and Australia alike. |
"in the first few months of arriving in Australia things were very hard," explains Khalil. "I mean, its difficult for anybody who's come from another culture... I need a hand to write applications for grants. And another thing which I find very difficult to organise is a programme. I dont have a good mind for the business side of things, I just love to play." Within seven months of arriving in Melbourne, Khalil had found a manager, Fazila Hajeb, and played the world music festivals Womad, Bellingen and Woodford. He's also toured Brisbane and Sydney and performed a solo show at the very grand venue of the Melba Hall at Melbourne University. |
"For him to come here and have to start again, almost from scratch, that was just amazing to me" - Matt High, Meredith Music Festival Organiser Matt High, The Meredith programmer explains, "Putting Khalil on the line-up specifically came about when I was reading an article in The Age, maybe six months ago, and the pice was about his life story... you know it was just amazing to me that here in Melbourne we had one of the world's greatest musicians. Someone who has experienced such an esteemed position in another society, and for him to come here to Australia and have to start again, almost from scratch, that was just amazing to me." Click here to go back to the press releases page |
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