Qatar-Canada Cultural Ties Strengthened Through Music, Says Acclaimed Conductor

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Victor Bolorunduro | The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: Acclaimed Canadian conductor Charles Olivieri-Munroe has highlighted the importance of cultural collaboration between Qatar and Canada, describing music as a powerful bridge for strengthening bilateral ties, fostering mutual understanding and creating lasting artistic partnerships between the two countries.

Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the Sounds of Canada concert, presented as part of the Qatar, Canada and Mexico 2026 Year of Culture, Olivieri-Munroe said the initiative provides a valuable platform for introducing Canadian classical music to audiences in Qatar while opening new opportunities for artistic exchanges.

The internationally renowned conductor, who made his Arab world debut with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO), expressed hope that the cultural partnership would extend beyond individual performances to inspire joint musical productions and collaborations between composers from both countries.

“I would also love to see a commission bringing together a Canadian and a Qatari or Arab composer,” he said.

“That would be the most beautiful legacy of this Year of Culture: not only performing each other's music, but creating new music together.”

Olivieri-Munroe said initiatives such as Years of Culture play an important role in expanding the international reach of classical music, particularly by introducing lesser-known compositions to audiences in different parts of the world.

“Years of Culture are extremely valuable because they create a reason, and a stage, for music that would otherwise rarely travel,” he said.

He stressed that such initiatives should establish enduring relationships through return performances, recordings, educational projects and opportunities for young musicians.

Reflecting on the cultural connections between Qatar and Canada, the conductor noted that both countries' multicultural environments provide opportunities for artistic dialogue.

Born in Malta, raised in Toronto and based in Prague since 1997, Olivieri-Munroe said his experiences of living across different cultures have shaped his understanding of music as a universal language.

“I have spent my whole life between cultures, and I know from experience that you can belong to more than one place at once. That is also the story of Canada, and of much of its music,” he said.

“When I present an all-Canadian programme in Doha, I do not see it as a national flag being waved. I see it as a meeting point.”

The Sounds of Canada concert featured works by three distinguished Canadian composers, Oskar Morawetz, Pierre Mercure and Jacques Hétu, showcasing the richness and diversity of Canada's musical heritage.

The programme included Morawetz's Carnival Overture and Symphony No. 2, Mercure's Kaléidoscope and Hétu's Sur les rives du Saint-Maurice.

Olivieri-Munroe, who personally selected the repertoire, explained that the compositions reflected Canada's multicultural identity, combining Central European musical traditions with French-Canadian influences.

He also praised the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra's multinational composition, describing its musicians from different countries as a reflection of Canada's cultural diversity.

Discussing the broader Year of Culture initiative, Olivieri-Munroe said pairing Sounds of Canada with the earlier Sounds of Mexico concert created a meaningful dialogue among three culturally diverse nations.

He expressed hope that the initiative would encourage greater appreciation of Canadian classical music in Qatar while laying the foundation for future artistic collaborations.

MENAFN11112026000063011010ID1111945800