‘Wave’ … New Program to Support Saudi Talents in Music

The Commission aims at supporting musicians and promoting their works around the world. (SPA).
The Commission aims at supporting musicians and promoting their works around the world. (SPA).
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‘Wave’ … New Program to Support Saudi Talents in Music

The Commission aims at supporting musicians and promoting their works around the world. (SPA).
The Commission aims at supporting musicians and promoting their works around the world. (SPA).

The Saudi Music Commission has launched the “Wave” training program in Riyadh, in cooperation with the Anghami platform, under the slogan “This is Your Time”, to help promote the music community in Saudi Arabia, support the emerging talents and nurture their musical potentials and boost the industry.

“Wave will redefine the Saudi music scene at the international level. Through this program we not only promote the growth of new musical talents, but also enable them to showcase their unique art to the world,” said CEO of the Music Commission Paul Pacifico.

“This program will firmly position the Kingdom at the forefront as a center for musical innovation and creative experiences,” he added, stressing on its deep impact on the aspiring music graduates, as it provides a priceless opportunity for the promising talents to kick off their careers in the field through the training and guidance that enhance their capabilities and provide them with the required tools.

The program offers music graduates and aspiring artists a series of training and music production workshops by industry professionals who will provide them with the basic skills to launch their careers. The goal is to graduate 100 exceptional talents fully qualified to excel in different musical fields.

The program is part of an inclusive framework designed to guide aspiring artists to produce unique and exceptional music by taking them in a wholesome journey to explore the different aspects of the music industry such as song writing, composition, production, distribution and mixing, under the surveillance of professional producers, sound engineers, singers, and composers in workshops that contribute to improving their skills.

The Saudi Music Commission was established to put the foundation for the infrastructure of the music culture in the kingdom, and to offer everyone who’s interested the chance to learn music, in addition to discovering, nurturing, and empowering the talents, and raising awareness about the music culture.

It also aims at building an industry that could contribute to the domestic economy by creating work opportunities for both genders, producing and managing live cultural shows, musical recordings, and centers to teach music to amateurs, as well as organizing and documenting folkloric performances and Saudi music shows in order to enrich the social and patriotic sense, and promote the cultural identity locally, regionally and globally.



New Zealand Reclaims Record for Largest Haka Dance

People take part in a world record attempt for the largest mass Haka at Eden Park in Auckland on September 29, 2024. (AFP)
People take part in a world record attempt for the largest mass Haka at Eden Park in Auckland on September 29, 2024. (AFP)
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New Zealand Reclaims Record for Largest Haka Dance

People take part in a world record attempt for the largest mass Haka at Eden Park in Auckland on September 29, 2024. (AFP)
People take part in a world record attempt for the largest mass Haka at Eden Park in Auckland on September 29, 2024. (AFP)

New Zealand has set the world record for the most people to perform a haka, a traditional dance of the country's indigenous Maori, reclaiming the title from France.

A statement by Auckland’s Eden Park, which hosted the record attempt on Sunday, said 6,531 people had performed Ka Mate, the haka, which surpassed the current record of 4,028 people, held by France since 2014.

"Haka is an important part of our culture and returning the mana (prestige) of this world record away from the French and back to the land of its origins and ensuring it was performed correctly and with integrity was vital,” Hinewehi Mohi, cultural ambassador for HAKA and co-founder of the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust, told New Zealand’s 1News.

The haka, a customary dance by Maori, was traditionally a way to welcome visiting tribes or to invigorate warriors ahead of battle. It is now performed at important events and is the most well-known as part of the New Zealand rugby teams pre-game ritual.

There are many haka but the one performed at the world record attempt is the most well-known and was composed around 1920 by Te Rauparaha, chief of Ngati Toa iwi or tribe.

Event organizers had hoped at least 10,000 participants would attend the event, which was also fundraising for Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust.

Nick Sautner, Eden Park chief executive, said watching thousands of passionate New Zealanders from young children to elders perform Ka Mate at the stadium was a truly memorable moment.

“It’s more than just numbers – it’s about honoring our cultural legacy on a global stage,” Sautner said in a statement released late Sunday.

Almost 1 million of New Zealand's 5.2 million population have Maori ancestry.