Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra Names New Music Director

Doha, December 10 (QNA) - The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) announced Monday the appointment of Han-Na Chang as the Philharmonic s third Music Director. The newly-appointed director will join in by September 2013. At a press conference today attended by QPO'S Executive Director, Kurt Mieser, and QPO's own resident composer, Marcel Khalifa, Chang said "I am extremely excited about joining the Qatar Philharmonic as Music Director. This orchestra is unique in the way it was formed, from high-level simultaneous auditions in major musical capitals. It was born an elite orchestra". "With players from 30 different countries, (QPO) is an orchestra of the world and for the world," she said "We re fortunate that Qatar is investing in culture. With our unique combination of personal background diversity and passionate unity in Music, it will become one of the most relevant orchestras in the world," Chang added. The Korean Cellist expressed hopes she would succeed at her new post making the QPO one of the most leading orchestras in the world. Chan said QPO gets uniqueness through the art of mingling the world's best music pieces with Arab and local ones coming out with "innovative" musical pieces. Meanwhile, Meister said he expects Chang to have significant influence over the orchestra. "Han-Na has broad knowledge and deep experience, with a particular edge as a conductor in knowing how string players think and perceive. The orchestra will grow and evolve with her," he clarified. In statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Khlaifa said the process of bringing up a musician needs starting an early age. He said Qatar's Music Academy is now training kids and young people on composing music and they anticipate the QPO to include a large number of local musicians in the coming years who will bring more creativity to the music world. Chang first gained international recognition at the age of 11, when she won both the First Prize and the Contemporary Music Prize at the Fifth Rostropovich International Cello Competition in Paris in 1994. She has performed with world-known orchestras such, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Munchner Philharmoniker, The Philadelphia, Cleveland and Philharmonia orchestras, the London, Chicago and Boston Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Sydney Symphony, l'Orchestre de Paris and Orchestre National de France. (QNA)