ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture Jamal Shah on Monday inaugurated the National Music Academy (NMA) here at Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad.
Federal Secretary National Heritage and Culture Division Humaira Ahmed, Director General PNCA Muhammad Ayoub Jamali, Music Director Stephen Smith, Zafar Francis, Chairman Sir Syed Memorial Society Syed Ahmed Masood, Pakistan first Opera Singer Saira Peter, PNCA Board Member Hasan Raza, musicians and vocalist were also present on the occasion.
While addressing the ceremony, Jamal Shah underlined the significance of the National Music Academy and said that it is very important to establish a musical institution for youth and this Academy is specially created for them.
PNCA is Hub for Promoting Arts and Culture
The Minister said that PNCA is the hub for the promotion of art and culture in Islamabad. He said that the establishment of the Academy in PNCA is an initiative of the National Heritage and Culture Division that will usher in a new era of the music industry in Pakistan. He said that a National Dance Academy would also be set up at PNCA soon.
In her brief speech, Opera Singer Saira Peter said that music is both art and science, and it is her passion. It is her science background, knowledge of different communities, and the multicultural society she grew up in that gave her a deeper understanding of Sufism and helped her find her voice, her niche – the Sufi Opera.
Saira Peter also performed the songs live at the Academy inauguration ceremony and won big applause from the participants.
The faculty for the newly established Academy would be comprised of Opera Singer Saira Peter as Honorary Director, Stephen Smith, Nadir Abbas, Shehbaz Ali, Javed Niazi, Babar Niazi, Abida Perveen, Humaira Channa, M. Aslam Violin, Shafqat Salamat Al, Salamat Ali and Raees Ahmed.
While the Friends of NMA would be comprised of Jamal Shah, Zafar Francis, Chairman Sir Syed Memorial Society Syed Ahmed Masood, PNCA Board Member Hasan Raza and Amna Shah.
