Photo By Senior Airman Brett Clashman | Master Sgt. Darrin Dziergowski plays the keyboards during a dedication ceremony at the...... read more read more
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - As violin music filled the air, representatives from the Transit Center at Manas, U.S. Embassy in Bishkek and the Kyrgyz Republic Ministry of Culture and Tourism celebrated renovations at the Abdraev Music School with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony Oct. 1, 2012.
The Abdraev Music School has approximately 200 students ranging in age from 7 to 18 years old and attracts elite music students from across the Kyrgyz Republic. Several graduates of the school perform for audiences in Moscow, London and New York.
The project, which is valued at more than $18,000, entailed replacement of 18 windows; refurbishment of the wooden floors and ceiling in the main assembly hall as well as resurfacing and painting of the floors, ceilings and walls in three additional rooms.
The event featured performances by students from the school as well as songs from the U.S. Air Forces Central band, Top Flight. Top Flight is deployed from Joint Base San Antonio and completed a 12-day tour of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Kyrgyz Republic Minister of Culture and Tourism Ibragion Junusov spoke about the project and the friendship between Kyrgyzstan and the United States.
"I appreciate the great help provided by representatives of the Transit Center and the U.S. Embassy to accomplish this project. I welcome everybody to enjoy and celebrate this moment. Our students will be taking the first steps into the world of music and culture in this beautiful room," he said.
Col. Corey Martin, Transit Center director, attended the ceremony and was honored to see how projects, such as this one, help to forge and maintain a strong partnership between the U.S. and Kyrgyz Republic.
"It is an honor to represent the Transit Center at today's dedication. It serves as another example of the great partnership between the Kyrgyz Republic and the United States. I am excited that this project expands our relationship to include the Ministry of Culture and Tourism," Martin said.
"As a place for education and music, the Abdraev Music School is well suited for this type of cooperation. Language will always be a barrier for me in this part of the world but music breaks down any language barriers and is international. I am very happy that the U.S. government could be part of these improvements and I look forward to hearing music bounce off the new windows and ceiling," he said.
Top Flight's Drummer, Tech. Sgt. Chad Newman, was pleased to have the opportunity play at the Abdraev School.
"Kyrgyzstan has been a wonderful experience for us. The people have been very friendly and we have enjoyed performing for them. I believe that they enjoyed listening to us," said Newman, a native of St. Augustine, Texas, who is deployed from Joint Base San Antonio.
"It was a great opportunity to communicate through the universal language of music," he said.
The Abdraev Music School students enjoyed the experience.
"I liked playing in the new concert hall and listening to the American band. It was really cool. I am really happy all of these events took place," said Mikhail Basalkov, a student at the school.
| Date Taken: | 10.01.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 10.11.2012 07:53 |
| Story ID: | 95977 |
| Location: | KG |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, TCM airmen, Abdraev Music School students celebrate renovations, by SSgt Matthew Benedetti, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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