Afghan Youth Orchestra, Featuring Musicians-in-Exile, Returns to the United States

More than a decade after its sold-out debut at Carnegie Hall, the Afghan Youth Orchestra (AYO) and the all-girls ensemble Zohra at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) are set to thrill American audiences again. And to say that these promising musicians have triumphed over adversity to arrive at this moment is an incredible understatement.

Founded in 2010 in Kabul, the Afghan National Institute of Music (ANIM) became the first-ever co-educational music school in Afghanistan and earned acclaim for its impressive ensembles. But the fate of the institution was thrown into jeopardy in 2021 when the Taliban — which has outlawed music and girls' education beyond sixth grade — returned to power. As tens of thousands of Afghan nationals fled the country, nearly 300 ANIM students, faculty, and staff were granted asylum in Portugal, where the school was reestablished.

AYO's August 7 performance — conducted by Tiago Moreira da Silva with members of the European Union Youth Orchestra — takes place during Carnegie Hall's World Orchestra Week, a concert festival that showcases youth symphonies from across the globe. The ANIM ensembles will perform the following night at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

In its new home, ANIM continues to use music to unite people around the world. Featuring talented musicians between the ages of 14 and 22 who perform Western symphonic works, original compositions, and Afghan folk music on both Western and traditional Afghan instruments, the Afghan Youth Orchestra toured the United Kingdom this spring to raise awareness women's rights in Afghanistan and to promote the restoration of music and cultural rights for Afghan citizens. A Paramount+ documentary about ANIM, Last Song from Kabul, was recently nominated for an Emmy Award.

GRoW is honored to support AYO's Carnegie Hall concert and continue its support of ANIM.