CUATRO PUNTOS
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The Rosegarden of Light Project
Celebrating the music and culture of Afghanistan​

click to listen on Spotify
click to listen on Youtube
listen on all other streaming platforms by searching "Rosegarden of Light" and looking for artist name "Cuatro Puntos"
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“At a time when we are bombarded every day by images of the world in crisis, The Rosegarden of Light is a joyful celebration of musicians who share a fundamental right to express themselves through the universal language of music.”
                       - Blackmore Vale Magazine
Background
  • Music was entirely banned in Afghanistan as recently as 2001. That ban continues in some parts of the country, while musicians remain targets in other parts. Throughout history musicians have been silenced as a means to stifle the voices of a group of people: The Rosegarden of Light provides an opportunity for these voices to be heard on an international scale as the courageous people of Afghanistan rebuild and reaffirm their centuries-old musical and artistic culture.
  • The Rosegarden of Light Project is, at its roots, a peaceful reaction to a vicious act of violence. In December 2014 the courageous young students of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) were performing musical accompaniment to a play in Kabul that was the target of a suicide bombing. The explosion severely wounded Dr Ahmad Sarmast, the deeply respected founder and director of ANIM. 
  • This act of violence directly against the arts shook the students, faculty and partners of ANIM, but did not break their spirit. The Rosegarden of Light Project was born in response to this tragic event, and has come to represent all that can be accomplished when people decide to respond to an atrocity with open hearts and a passion for a brighter future.
  • The project is a collaboration across three nations to show solidarity and support for the young musicians of Kabul and all they stand for. 'The Rosegarden of Light' is a 16th Century title used to reference the region that is Afghanistan. The title refers both to a specific piece of music – Sadie Harrison’s Gulistan-e Nur: The Rosegarden of Light for youth ensemble and string sextet – and to an ongoing series of performances, lectures and events worldwide aimed at raising awareness of Afghan music and culture.
  • It is also the title of the album released by Toccata Classics and featuring Cuatro Puntos (an American ensemble), Ensemble Zohra (the only female musical group in Afghanistan), the Junior Ensemble of Traditional Instruments (a group of young men from ANIM,) and the music of Australian/British composer Sadie Harrison.

Order the album on Amazon

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Ensemble Zohra in Kabul
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Rosegarden of Light Project
​Press for The 


Reviews:
BBC Radio 3
Dean Frey, 'Music for Several Instruments'
Music Web International

The Fine Times Recorder​
The New Listener, Trotz Alledem (in German)
Lebabill Art (In French)
​BBC Record Review


Articles and Broadcasts:

British Music Collection
New Music USA​
WNPR Connecticut 
University of York Music Press
Broadway Baby
Goldsmiths University London
All Music
​Discover Frome
Women Composers Festival of Hartford​
Hartford Courant 
WNPR Connecticut 
Phyllis Wolff 
Classical Discoveries, New Jersey 
York Press
General Arts Touring 
Odysseus Project 
PRSF Foundation


Listen:

Students of Afghanistan National Institute of Music
Kevin Bishop, ANIM Director of Orchestral Studies
Full live performance of The Rosegarden of Light. Videos of Ensemble Zohra were taken during a recording session in Kabul. Videos of Cuatro Puntos were taken at the CD Launch Concert in London. 
Ensemble Zohra recording 'Watan Jan' from
​ The Rosegarden of Light in Kabul

​​
Live Performances of
The Rosegarden of Light Project


Sunday, February 18, 2018 - Calvary Church, Stonington, CT
Wednesday, February 7, 2018 - Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT
Thursday, February 1, 2018 - Seabury, Bloomfield, CT
Saturday, May 28, 2016 - Purbeck Festival, Swanage, England
​Sunday, May 29, 2016- Brighton Festival, Brighton, England
Monday, May 30, 2016- Silk Mill, Frome, England
Wednesday, June 1, 2016 - Goldsmiths University, London*
*CD Launch Concert and reception
Thursday, June 2, 2016-  Shaftesbury, England
​
Saturday, June 4, 2016- Late Music Festival, York, England
Monday, June 6, 2016- Institute for Cultural Diplomacy,
Berlin, Germany

​Thursday, March 10, 2016 - Women Composers Festival of Hartford
Friday, January 15, 2016 - Hartford, CT
Monday, October 5, 2015 - Glastonbury, CT
Sunday, October 4, 2015 - University of Hartford, Hartford, CT
Sunday, September 27, 2015 - Boston, MA
Saturday, September 26, 2015 - Hartford, CT
Friday, September 25, 2o15 - East Hartford, CT
Friday, September 25, 2015 - Middlebury, CT
Thursday, September 24, 2015 - Glastonbury, Connecticut*
*World Premiere

​


Additional Information on the Artists

Sadie Harrison
composer of Gulistan-e Nur: The Rosegarden of Light and Allah Hu
Project Concept Designer


Kevin Bishop
violist, arranger, Director of Orchestral Studies at ANIM in Kabul
Project Concept Designer
Aaron Packard
violinist

Steve Larson
viola
Annie Trépanier
violinist

Allan Ballinger 
​cello
Holly Fischer
double bass, teacher of ANIM students in Kabul
Ensemble Zohra
Afghan Women's Orchestra

Junior Ensemble of Traditional Afghan Instruments

Camilo Jauregui
conductor of Ensemble Zohra on recording

​​Afghanistan National Institute of Music 
home of Ensemble Zohra and Junior Ensemble of Traditional Instruments

Ahmad Sarmast
founder and director of ANIM

Cuatro Puntos

Clip of Cuatro Puntos performing Movement 3, 'Watan Jan', from The Rosegarden of Light by Sadie Harrison
Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut- September 2015
Trailer for "Dr. Sarmast's Music School"

Thank you to all our partners who have helped fund The Rosegarden of Light Project

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 Cuatro Puntos
​ Hartford, Connecticut, USA
  Sadie Harrison
  ​ Australia/ UK
Junior Ensemble of Traditional Instruments  
Kabul, Afghanistan
"Dedicated to intercultural dialogue and universal access through the writing, performance, and teaching of music"
all written and recorded content copyright Cuatro Puntos
  • Home
  • CT Events
    • Full CT Schedule
    • MAR-APRIL '23 - Ukrainian Composers
    • APRIL '22 - Sounds of Persia
    • May - June '23 - Ameen Mokdad's The Curve
  • Monday Music
    • Sign Up
    • Archives
  • Albums
    • Ji bo sê kes çay (Tea For Three) 2023
    • Through The Eyes Of Children 2022
    • The Curve 2020
    • Jaipur to Cairo 2019
    • Centennial Cole 2019
    • Rosegarden of Light 2016
  • Ensembles
    • Music Moves Hartford Street Choir
    • Cuatro Puntos Ensemble
  • Education
    • In-School Workshops
    • Virtual Concert for Kids (On Demand)
  • About CP
  • Past Events
    • 2021 Summer Series
    • 2020-2021 Season
    • 2020 Summer Series
    • 2020 Cross-Atlantic Quarantine Sessions
    • 2019-2020 Season
    • 2019 Hartford Summer Outdoor Pops Concerts
    • 2018-2019 Season
    • 2017-2018 SEASON
    • 2016-2017 Season
    • 2015-2016 Season
    • 2014-2015 Season
    • 2013-2014 Season
  • Annual Reports
    • Annual Report 2019
    • Annual Report 2017/18
    • Annual Report 2016
    • Annual Report 2015
    • Strategic Plan
  • Book Our Ensembles
    • Book The Curve US Tour 2023
    • Book Cuatro Puntos Ensemble
    • Book Music Moves Hartford
  • Volunteer
  • Support
  • Contact
  • Commissioning Ukrainian Composers - Giving Tuesday 2022