© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Hartford Ensemble Performs With Afghan Children in Multimedia Concert

Cuatro Puntos
Members of Hartford-based Cuatro Puntos and Kabul's all-girl Ensemble Zohra outside The Afghanistan National Institute of Music last summer.
The ensemble's performance will weave in themes based on the traditional folk music of Afghanistan.

A new work based on folk music from Afghanistan will be performed Friday night in Hartford. The Hartford-based ensemble Cuatro Puntos with perform live with a video recording of an Afghan girl's ensemble.

Members of Cuatro Puntos have served as summer faculty at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul for the last two years.

Cuatro Puntos founder violist Kevin Bishop said decades of turmoil have had a lasting impact on music in Afghanistan.

"Under the Taliban regime, which ended in 2001, music was entirely outlawed, and from then on it has been a struggle," Bishop said. "Still, culturally, it's questionably accepted."

It's also dangerous. In December 2014, a suicide bomber attacked the students from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music during a performance at Kabul's French Cultural Center. None of the students were injured in the bombing, but the music institute's director suffered substantial injuries.

Bishop said his ensemble wanted to do something to show their support. "And we decided that the best response is to have the girls be heard, because the attempts in Afghanistan are to silence music, and especially silence women," Bishop said. 

To that end, Cuatro Puntos commissioned British composer and Afghan music scholar Sadie Harrison to write a new work for Cuatro Puntos and Ensemble Zohra that weaves in themes based on the traditional folk music of Afghanistan. The result is called "The Rosegarden of Light."

Last summer, Ensemble Zohra recorded their parts for "The Rosegarden of Light," and this Friday night, Cuatro Puntos will play their parts live along to that recording at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford. The concert begins at 7:00 pm.

Ray Hardman is Connecticut Public’s Arts and Culture Reporter. He is the host of CPTV’s Emmy-nominated original series Where Art Thou? Listeners to Connecticut Public Radio may know Ray as the local voice of Morning Edition, and later of All Things Considered.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.