Afghanistan National Institute of Music

After the Taliban outlawed music in Afghanistan, its history and traditional performance practices were in danger of being forgotten. When the political climate improved, Dr. Ahmad Sarmast founded the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, with the aim of instructing students in both Afghan and Western musical traditions.

Through an initiative funded and organized with the assistance of the U.S. Department of State and the World Bank, an orchestra comprised of these young musicians toured the United States, performing to sold-out crowds at both the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. 21C Media Group provided consultation and advice on nearly every aspect of this program, which resulted in appearances for the orchestra on every major television network in the U.S., as well as front-page stories in the New York Times and Washington Post.