Spectacular Military Music Concert to mark Oman's 44th National Day at ROHM

Colour, pageantry and music at its best

Friday the 7th of November was an unforgettable evening as we saw a spectacular performance of Military Music of Oman at the Royal Opera House Muscat Maidan. This 90 minute performance set the tone for the commencement of Oman's 44th National Day celebrations and it was clear-the sense of pride and delight in what we saw and heard was mirrored in each and every face around us.

Superb music

Over the past few decades, the  military bands  and music of Oman  have already established  for themselves  a worldwide  reputation.Add to it the magnificent backdrop of the Royal Opera House Maidan and the cutting edge light and sound facilities it has to offer, Oman  presented a fabulous event, the like to which is probably un paralled worldwide.

Men and women performing side by side. 

Women power -The Massed Military Ladies Band

Incomparable melodies


The Performers list was a veritable delight.Local as well as international bands and dance performers have come together and the result was a seamless integration of the best of the East and the West.

Some notables from Oman-The Royal Guard of Oman Military Bands, The Royal Army of Oman Band, The Royal Air Force of Oman Band, The Royal Navy of Oman band, The combined group of the Royal Cavalry and Camel Bands,The Royal Oman Police Band, The Aiyla Group of the First Royal Band for Music and Folklore.

The magnificent backdrop of the ROHM provides a perfect foil.



Some of the international Guest performers included John Innes, Manu Aute Productions of Wellington, The Lochel Drill Marching team, Scotdance International, and Elisha Gallivan.

National Dances of Scotland added grace and variety to the beautifully structured programme.

Maori performing the Haka




The brilliantly synchronised Drill marchers from New Zealand

Traditional Omani dancers perform with grace and vigour

As the event was to close, the inimitable sounds of 'Abide with me' came from somewhere on top. Looking up, we spotted a performer with his bugle and to his right, a tight close up revealed that there were more performers on top. It was just that we hadn't realised they were there as well- another testimony to the sheer detailing that went into making this fantastic evening!

A close up of the musicians positioned on top of the ROHM 

The Grand Finale where all the participants gather and the National Anthem of Oman is sung

The show came to an end and all the people left for the day but not before clicking their final shots.

Then slowly walked away with a smile on their faces as well as in their hearts.

Looking forward to a new season at the magnificent Royal Opera House Muscat

The Royal Opera House Muscat( ROHM)

The Royal Opera House, Muscat (ROHM) was inaugurated by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Al Said three  years ago and in his inaugural speech, he outlined his vision for it. The essence of what he said was that since Oman had played a significant role in various cultural fields in the past, it was now time for it to cap that rich march by adopting the concepts of international culture and add to it by effective contribution to its promotion. To that end, the ROHM that will showcase Oman’s creative and cultural heritage and provide Oman with a gateway to the international arena.

Performances on Open Day 

We've been lucky enough to visit the Royal Opera House a few times during this period and the first time was unforgettable,  a wonderful show featuring the Whirling Dervishes. More recently, an  'Open House', the State Ballet from Vienna and a concert by Diana Krall the jazz singer.

On each of these occasions, we've been struck by the excellence and detailing that has gone into making this place the superb piece of architectural  and cultural hub that its meant to be.Then there was that fantastic opportunity to walk through the ROHM on a private tour, asking all possible questions that I could think of and clicking way to my heart's content!

Here's a very real recommendation- do check out the Programmes for the new Season starting on September 18 at the very next opportunity you get.  It starts with Verdi's superb  opera MacBeth and continues till May 2015 with  a range of fabulous performances, symposiums, family concerts and educational activities.

Book your tickets too as that's the best way to ensure that you actually get to see what you really want to.

The stunning interiors

      

Fascinating art


Its truly one of those places that will stay in your mind and heart forever...

(NB- All pics used here are clicked by me)

Insta8Oman all set to make new inroads into Oman's Instagramming community

I've been on Instagram for about a year and a half now with my account  http://instagram.com/sunaina_serna_ahluwalia and during that time have grown to love it for the fun, excitement and ability to easily express my thoughts as well as share photographs with the community.

To put it in a nutshell, Instagram is an online photo, video sharing and social networking service that enables its users to take pics, apply a range of digital filters to them and then share them on a variety of social networking services such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr. A distinctive feature and one that not even many Instagram users may know about is that it confines photos to a square shape, similar to Kodak Instamatic and Polaroid images , in contrast to the 16:9 aspect ratio now typically used by mobile device cameras

Oman too has seen an exponential growth of Instagram users, particularly over the last year and while I don’t have updated statistics, I can confidently say that the number of Instagram users is growing by the hour!

In the last week, the Instagram community in Oman has been buzzing about something that promises to be really exciting and if it actually succeeds in drawing out the best of the Instagram users here, it would have been a highly successful, one of a kind experiment that is then guaranteed to grow by leaps and bounds.

Called Insta8 Oman and to be held at the Opera Galleria adjoining the Royal Opera House, Muscat,this event will have 8 talented speakers from Oman who have been successful in using this medium to tell a real and meaningful story by using 8 images from their Instagram account.While the selections continue and the date draws closer, I'm one of the lucky people who will be present and cheering as we learn more, participate more and come away from that evening with some new friendships and a whole lot of new insights into the Instagram as well as the real lives of the people who will be attending.

So for all of you who are on Instagram, do watch this space for more as I update  you about my perceptions and experiences of Insta8Oman.

Till then, Happy Instagramming...