The Arirang Quintet Master Class & Concert

The Arirang Quintet, comprised of premier professional instrumentalists from Germany, presented a master class on Oct. 3 and a concert on Oct. 5, where they discussed their craft and coached local students. Both events were held at the American University of Kuwait (AUK). Also, during the week, they featured at the residence of the German Ambassador.

Organized by the German Embassy and the AUK Visual Performing Arts Program under the direction of Dr. Lisa Urkevich, the concert featured works by Mozart, Klughardt, and Ibert and was open to the public. Arirang Quintet's master class, a few days before the concert, especially welcomed students, as the quintet offered coaching and answer questions from the musical audience. Dr. Urkevich said, "The attendance was wonderful. We had over 150 students and teachers from the community participating. The students were very involved, asking questions, and performing alongside the professionals."

During the week they also performed at the German Ambassador's residence during the reception on the occasion of the Day of German Unity. "I am very happy that we could attract such talent to Kuwait" says the German Ambassador to Kuwait, Dr. Michael Worbs. "Because the concert at AUK is public, many people in Kuwait will get a chance to enjoy the performance of Arirang Quintet."

Arirang Quintet members Friedrich Haberstock (flute), Jorg Schneider (oboe), Steffen Dillner (clarinet), Sebastian Schindler (French horn), and Monika Schneider (bassoon) presented a short demonstration of their virtuosity on their respective instruments. They also shared their perspectives on practicing, performing, and the empowering nature of music in the hopes of inspiring these young musicians.

"This is the first time for us to play in Kuwait and in the Gulf region," says bassoonist Monika Schneider, "and we are really excited." Dr. Urkevich added, "These wind quintet musical events at AUK provide an especially good opportunity for our students and the community since wind instrument performers, who play the instruments that are featured by the Arirang Quintet, are quite rare in Kuwait, indeed, in the Gulf region in general."

Matthew Forman, a music major at Dartmouth College in the US interning at AUK through the University's partnership with Dartmouth, said, "Collaboration between students and professionals is critical for the students' development as musicians and reaffirms the musicians' commitment to their craft." 

The Arirang Wind Quintet was formed in 2002 and is comprised of members from the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, which is one of the leading orchestras in Germany. The musicians of the Arirang Quintet were chosen from over 25,000 students from German music conservatories, and they manifest the highest performance standards. The repertoire of the ensemble consists of Classical, Romantic, and contemporary pieces, including several works which the group debuts.
 

BSK students participated in the master class
 

Images from the concert
 

Dr. Lisa Urkevich
 

Dr. Marina Tolmacheva
 

German Ambassador Dr. Michael Worbs
 

Audience of all ages attended the lecture
 

The musicians
 

Back row: Left to right Dr. Lisa Urkevich, Dr. Marina, German Ambassador Dr. Michael Worbs and his wife.
Front row: AUK student and AUK intern from Dartmouth College with musicians