LAHORE – The All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) has announced that it will organise concerts on first day of every month and mark APMC founder and former secretary general Hayat Ahmed Khan’s death anniversary in February. APMC Secretary General and Hayat’s daughter Dr Ghazala Irfan said that the APMC is working for only keeping alive classical and folk music of the Indian sub-continent, which is also the heritage of Pakistan and concerts are expected to be held on first day of every month this year except February, in which the concert would be held on February 7. “We have invited Sheema Kirmani from Karachi, who will perform a classical dance in memory of Hayat Ahmed Khan,” she told Pakistan Today.
In recognition of his services for promoting classical art and music, the federal government had conferred the Sitara-e-Imtiaz upon Hayat in 2000. Hayat was born on September 15, 1921 in the Walled City near the Masjid Wazir Khan. He studied painting and sculpture at the Mayo School of Arts (now the National College of Arts) and studied Tabla and Sur from Gandharav Mahahvidala Academy in India. He also obtained a masters degree in music. He was a student of Ustad Qadir Baksh Pukhawaji and Ustad Sardar Khan.
Hayat founded the APMC in 1959 for promotion of classical music. The APMC has been a constant source of inspiration for thousands of music lovers. A number of noted singers, including Roshan Ara Begum, Farida Khanum and Iqbal Begum have participated in APMC’s programmes. Several musical evenings were held at Hayat’s residence in which Ghulam Ali, Nayyera Noor, Mehdi Hasan, Ustad Akhtar Hussain, Ustad Fateh Ali and Nazakat Ali and others had enthralled the audience.
