Seven members of British House of Lords meet with Professor Nargiz Pashayeva

On November 24th 2015, at the invitation of the Purcell School (http://www.purcell-school.org), the first, the most famous and prestigious specialized music school of the UK, the Rector of the Baku branch of Moscow State University, the co-chairman of the English-Azerbaijani Society, Professor Nargiz Pashayeva, visited the traditional annual gala dinner, held in one of the oldest (1339) buildings in London, Goldsmiths' Hall.

This gala is a significant event in the musical world of the UK. During the evening, school director James Purcell Harding greeted the participants of the salon and thanked all those present, and briefly introduced the school program of the students of the Purcell School who were to perform in front of guests. The dinner was attended by well-known British artists such as Simon Rattle and a member of the House of Lords of the British Parliament Baroness Warnock, as well as well-known professors and other cultural figures. Importantly, the patron of the Purcell School is the British heir to the throne, Prince Charles.

Earlier, in June of this year, Professor Pashayeva, along with Lord Herman, visited the Purcell School and met with the leadership of the school, and acquainted themselves with the system and the infrastructure of the educational process of the school. During her visit, Professor Pashayeva discussed with the school the possibility of cooperation with the Bulbul Azerbaijani specialized music school and the learning prospects of two Azerbaijani students at the Purcell School, which is one of the most famous musical and specialized educational institutions in the world.

Professor Pashayeva's initiative was supported by the leadership of the Purcell School, and on November 23rd, at the invitation of Professor Pashayeva, the director of the Bulbul school, Teymur Goychay, and two students from Baku, the tar player Atabek Ismayilov and the pianist Rashid Behbudov, visited the Purcell School. This school has a weekly program for the director of the Bulbul school and the two students, during which they will attend classes and schools and become familiar with the British system of music education. The co-chairman of the English-Azerbaijani Society, Lord Herman, and the other members of the organization, as well as guests from Baku, accompanied Professor Pashayev at the Gala Dinner.

It should be noted that the planned performance of students of the Bulbul school at the Purcell School is one of the highlights of their visit.

During her visit to the United Kingdom on November 25th at the invitation of Lord Herman, as well as six members of the House of Lords – Lord Berkeley, Lord Clemens-Jones, Lord Lipsey, Lord Rowe-Beddou, Lord Aberdare and Lord Thomas Grestfordsky – Professor Pashayeva participated at a business dinner in the House of Lords.

The meeting took place at the famous Hall of the guest hall of the House of Lords of the British Parliament. The representatives of the House of Lords present at the meeting welcomed their guest Nargiz Pashayeva and then moved on to interesting discussions of cultural-educational topics. The prospects of the implementation of joint music and other cultural projects, under the direction of the co-chairs of the English-Azerbaijani Society, Professor Nargiz Pashayeva and Lord Herman, were discussed at the meeting. Professor Pashaeva told the Lords of the multifaceted musical heritage of Azerbaijan. She stressed that the first mugham opera ‘Layla and Majnun’ was written by Uzeyir Beck in Azerbaijan. It was noted that Azerbaijani musical culture has absorbed all the genres of the classical European heritage and developed national-level traditional genres. She also highlighted the still-forming jazz tradition, artists who have glorified their country at the international level. She noted the historic significance of the creations of Uzeyir Beck and the Bulbul Conservatory and Music School.

Also during the meeting Professor Pashayeva was asked questions about history, literature, and the modern educational approach to different topics. The conversation was of a mutually interesting character, touching upon historical and cultural aspects, and it was stressed that it is necessary to spread information about Azerbaijan in the West, and the best way to do this is the initiative and the work of the NGOs and civil society.

Present at the dinner was Lord Berkeley, who is one of the most prominent composers in the UK, who was pleased to meet the professor and noted his interest in further meetings. It is important to note that Lord Berkeley won the Guinness prize for his music in 1977. Being a well-known musician, Lord Berkeley is also the head of musical projects at BBC Radio 3.

Lord Clement-Jones is a member of the House of Lords for Culture, Media and Sport of the Liberal Party. He also expressed his interest in the activities of the Obschestva.

Lord Lipsey, known for his career as a journalist in such popular publications ad the Economist, Prospect, the Sunday Times and the Guardian, who was also a member of the Managing Board of London's famous broadcaster ITV, said that very little is known about Azerbaijan in Great Britain and stressed the importance of the work carried out by Professor Pashayeva.

Lord Rowe-Beddou, Honorary Doctor of the University of Glamorgan, president of the famous Royal College of Music and Theatre of Wales, invited Professor Pashayeva to visit the capital of Wales, Cardiff, where he heads the Royal College, and become familiar with his work. Nargiz Pashayeva, in turn, thanked him for the invitation and promised to visit Wales in the near future.

Lord Aberdeen, who is one of 92 hereditary lords, the director of the music company ‘VALTZ’, as well as a member of the Trusteeship Council of the National Library of Wales and the Stephen Dodgson charity organization, expressed interest in the work of the English-Azerbaijani Society in the field of music and talked about the system of musical education in the UK.

Lord Thomas Grestfordsky, the winner of the Order of the British Empire, the holder of the title of royal adviser, the chairman of the Cambridge Society Piterhauz, welcomed Professor Pashayeva and spoke about the various music festivals held in the United Kingdom and expressed hope for further friendship and fruitful cooperation.

In turn, co-chairman of the English-Azerbaijani Society Lord Herman stressed that by heading the society with Professor Pashayeva, together with other members of the committee, they have successfully implemented all the planned projects in full this year and the prospects of future projects are beyond doubt.

The High Assembly also learnt about the activities of the Oxford Nizami Centre, which is the only scientific and academic organization of high status for the integrated study of Azerbaijan in the UK.

Thanking her hosts for the invitation and all the interest in Azerbaijan and also for showing high respect for her person, Professor Pashayeva expressed hope for further development of relations between the countries and the successful implementation of all planned projects in life.