The All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) is a volunteer organization founded in 1959 for the promotion of classical arts in Pakistan and continues to preserve and promote Pakistani classical and folk music and dance. It hosts a concert of music every month (except for the summer months) and a 5 day annual festival in Lahore, Pakistan typically in the last weekend of October. It has a chapter in Karachi as well. Ever since its inception, it has been a constant source of inspiration for thousands of music lovers nationwide.

History

At the time of the

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Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

in 1947, Pakistan was so beset with insurmountable social, economic and political problems that fine arts virtually remained neglected. Up to that point in 1947, history's largest migration of people had totally upset the equilibrium of the population not only physically but also emotionally and psychologically. During such times, the arts could not get attention of the people or the government. Pakistani music was neglected more than all else. People only heard

Radio Pakistan The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (); also known as ''Radio Pakistan'', serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in P ...

play some music now and then. The memory of live music concerts lingered in the minds of a few. If lovers of music had nostalgic memories, the musicians were totally frustrated and felt neglected. The height of despair was reflected in the decision of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan to leave his birthplace

to go back to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Soon after, Roshan Ara Begum announced that she was giving up Riyaz (

music practice Practice is the act of rehearsing a behavior repeatedly, to help learn Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, value (personal and cultural), values, Attitude (psychology), attitudes, and prefer ...

) as no one seemed interested in listening to her music. Her announcement jolted concerned citizens into action. Accepting the challenge, they decided to find ways and means to revive and rejuvenate the seemingly lost but rich and glorious heritage of classical music. On 15 September 1959, these concerned citizens met at the famous Coffee House of Lahore and launched a voluntary organization under the title of The All Pakistan Music Conference. The main objective of the APMC was to promote music and musicians by organizing concerts, conferences and festivals. It was decided to hold, as soon as possible, a large event on national level to focus attention on our melodic culture. A festival of folk, light, semi-classical and classical music was announced for 19 February 1960 to 23 February 1960. Spread over five evening and two morning sessions, the festival was an instant success. Musicians from all over the country had participated. People from all walks of life, from all the big cities,

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

and

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

, and from towns and villages all over Pakistan attended the concerts in large numbers. This music festival has recently been held at the Alhamra Arts Council in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

.All Pakistan Music Conference from 13 October 2014
Dawn newspaper, Published 2 October 2014, Retrieved 8 March 2024 The programme started daily at eight in the evening and lasted for five to six hours with the last evening closing a couple of hours after sunrise – a glorious day had dawned. The festival was the first major step which gave new lease of life to music in Pakistan. Followed by monthly concerts, it helped promote this noble art. Simultaneously, the festival helped project musicians. Great masters of whom the general public had not even heard and who were hidden even from the discerning eye were brought to the forefront.

Objectives

The late Hayat Ahmad Khan (1921 – 6 February 2005) had been the moving spirit behind All Pakistan Music Conference. He was not only one of its founding members but also a long-serving secretary.Hayat Ahmad Khan's services eulogized (founder of All Pakistan Music Conference)
Dawn newspaper, Published 9 February 2005, Retrieved 8 March 2024 To encourage the classical musicians/vocalists living in obscurity after the

in 1947, and particularly influenced by Roshan Ara Begum's probable intention to give up her 'Riyaz' due to the lack of interested listeners in Pakistan, Mr. Hayat along with several music connoisseurs laid the foundation of APMC. This project, he hoped, would rejuvenate interest in classical music in Pakistan. Many well-established artists like Roshan Ara Begum, Akhtari Bai, Rasoolan Bai, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and Ustad Ghulam Hassan Shaggan have performed at APMC concerts. Over the years, APMC has also brought forth several amateurs in the field of classical music. Notable names include Fahim Mazhar, Abdur Rauf, Sara Zaman and several others. APMC attracts music luminaries and aspiring artists alike to keep the classical music alive in the country. Not only that, both vocalists and instrumentalists from

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, the

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and

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, have benefited from the regular musical sittings held at APMC over the past 59 years as of 2017. The APMC programmes, held on a monthly basis greatly enrich the cultural ethos of Lahore. Besides these monthly mehfils, APMC also hosts a yearly six-day festival in which musicians/vocalists from all over Pakistan perform till the wee hours of morning. Few would know that APMC has also been instrumental in promoting classical dance in Pakistan. Classical dance performances of Naheed Siddiqui, Gopi Krishna and

Sheema Kermani Sheema Kermani (also spelled Kirmani) (Urdu: ; born 16 January 1951) is a Pakistani classical dancer and social activist. She is the founder of Tehrik-e-Niswan Cultural Action Group (Women's Movement). She is also an exponent of Bharatanatyam d ...

hosted by the organization stand as evidence.

Famous performing musicians at All Pakistan Music Conference

* Roshan Ara Begum (Classical music singer of Kirana gharana) *Mian Qadir Bukhsh Pakhawaji (founder of Punjab gharana of

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

players) * Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan * Abdul Alim (Folk Music Singer) *Sardar Khan * Sharif Khan Poonchwaley (

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...

) * Nazim Ali Khan * Munir Sarhadi * Zahida Parveen * Sadiq Ali Mando * Khamiso Khan ( Alghoza player) * Nathoo Khan (1920-1971) (

sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked three-stringed instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, Sindhi folk music, Haryanvi folk music, Braj folk music, and Boro folk music (the ...

player) * Allah Ditta Pari Paikar * Mian Shaukat Hussain (Tabla Player) * Dagar brothers *Rasoolan Bai * Amanat Ali Khan ( Patiala gharana) * Bade Fateh Ali Khan ( Patiala gharana) * Nazakat Ali Khan, ( Sham Chaurasia gharana) * Salamat Ali Khan ( Sham Chaurasia gharana) * Khalifa Akhtar Hussain * Ustad Naseeruddin Saami *Ustad Ashraf Sharif Khan *Shahbaz Hussain *Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan *Dildar Ali * Amir Chouhan from

* Barkat Ali Khan ( Patiala gharana) * Sain Akhter Hussain (

Folk singer Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

) * Latafat Hussain Khan * Niaz Hussain Shami * Ghulam Hassan Shaggan (Classical vocalist of Gwalior gharana) * Naseem Begum (film playback singer and television performer) * Nabi Bakhsh (

) * Umeed Ali Khan * Zahoori Khan * Adbur Rashid Beenkaar * Tufail Niazi (folk singer) * Talib Hussain * Lal Mohammad of Lal Mohammad Iqbal group (film music composers) * Mohammad Aizaz Sohail (Karnatak and Khayal Singer) * Sannan Mahboob ( Rubab player) *Akmal Qadri – (

Bansuri A bansuri is an ancient side-blown bamboo flute originating from the Indian Subcontinent. It is an aerophone produced from bamboo and metal-like material, used in many Indian and Nepali Lok songs. A ''bansuri'' is traditionally made from a ...

or flute player) * Haider Rahman (

or flute player))

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:All Pakistan Music Conference Music festivals in Pakistan Recurring events established in 1959 Music conferences Music organisations based in Pakistan Festivals in Pakistan Music festivals established in 1959 Classical music festivals in Pakistan

History

Objectives

Famous performing musicians at All Pakistan Music Conference

See also

References