Orchestrating cross-cultural collaboration

Young boys and girls holding cellos, violas and sitars gather at Narayan Gopal's residence in Maharajganj, ready for practice. Norwegian cellist Eivind Rossbach Heier and violist Ole Rasmus Bjerke lead in tuning the instruments.

Soon, the sound of classical renditions of Nepali and Norwegian folk music accompanied by more traditional sounds of sitar and flute, wafts through the neighborhood.

“In these moments, you can see how music is the strongest lingua franca,” says Heier, who first came to perform in Nepal, and has kept coming back. He is enamored by Nepali hospitality and has been organising the Norway-Nepal Orchestra Project in collaboration with Annapurna Chamber Orchestra, bringing together musicians from Nepal and Norway to perform together.

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“The goal of the project is to help establish an orchestra in Nepal, and educating the youth is the first step,” explains Raj Kumar Shrestha, director and conductor of the Annapurna Chamber Orchestra.

Shrestha was a student of national anthem composer Ambar Gurung and shares his mentor’s goal of reaching the world with chamber orchestra with classes on the property donated by popular Nepali singer and music composer Narayan Gopal.

Shrestha and his colleagues reached out to Norwegian musicians through the World Federation of Amateur Orchestras, eventually forming the Norway-Nepal Orchestra Project in 2015. Since then, the number of Nepali musicians in the production has grown from 30 to nearly 80 in its eighth rendition.

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For Bjerke, the ties of Nepal and its music has only deepened with each visit. He recently became the board member of the Norway-Nepal Friendship Association in Oslo. 

The Norwegian duo has facilitated cultural exchange by bringing Norwegian tutors to Nepal and welcoming Nepali students to perform in Norway -- including playing Nepal's national anthem with a viola and violin before Queen Sonja of Norway.

“I have seen the growth of Nepali musicians from unsure classical beginners to being skilled players,” says Heier, “and we are now resuming where we left off before the pandemic.” 

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However, the Annapurna Chamber Orchestra members have been using the lockdowns to practice, and they return this week with Nepal's first Viola Ensemble and Cello Concerto.

“I still performed the day before my 11th preboard exam, it has become a passion” says Rojan Rai, who has been a member of the orchestra since Grade 6. Rai is Nepal's fourth-generation orchestra student and strives to continue the legacy.

He adds: “Sadly, one cannot make a living through just music in Nepal. And our education system actively discourages us from being involved in anything aside from books.”

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This fact is evident in the empty chairs of orchestra members who are busy at school. Most students in the practice room are taught instruments by private tutors, and leave after graduating. Students working outside Nepal do not return at all.

“Non-profits like us have a limit on what we could do,” says Shrestha, pointing to the building constructed by Kathmandu Metropolitan City to train classical musicians.

In the past, Royal Nepal Academy fostered the preservation of Nepali culture through music. Now, only non-profits like Narayan Gopal Music Trust, donors like Marit Bakke from Norway, and publishers like Taleju Prakashan sponsor Nepali musicians who strive to entertain, educate, and communicate through music.

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The Norway-Nepal Orchestra aims to rekindle the love of music with ochestral performances of Nepali classics like 'Taal Ko Pani' and 'Asare Mahinama' in Kathmandu this weekend. In addition, Heier's string trio, Trio no Treble, plans to return to Nepal this October with singer Rachana Dahal.

The Norway-Nepal Orchestra Project is not only fostering the next generation of Nepali classical musicians but also strengthening the cultural bond between two geographically distant nations.

“I saw Heier's group perform in my school shortly after I started learning the violin,” says Rojan Rai, “I hope to spark the same passion I got from watching their performance in others.”  

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Norway-Nepal Orchestra Project is performing on the grounds of LRI School in Kalankisthan this week on 7 April, 3PM onwards.