Last week, French Consul General, Pierre Seillan organised three opera events at the Karachi Arts Council auditorium to raise funds for Al-Mehrab Tibbi Imdad's (AMTI) cancer hospice for poor ill patients.
Internationally acclaimed, French opera troupe "Chants de Garonne" fused their powerful voices with a local classical music group "The Karachi Vocal Ensemble" to enthrall opera buffs. Diplomats, expatriates, journalists, intelligentsia and socialites turned up in full force to show their solidarity with AMTI, a deserving charity selflessly managed by Former Justice Majida Rizvi and Oofi Khan.
The scintillating performances was a runaway success. Opera lovers clamouring for encores gave an enthusiastic standing ovation. The highlights of the concerts were excerpts from Mozart's magnum opus "Magic Flute", "Don Giovanni", "The Marriage of Figaro" and some haunting nocturnes, which left an indelible impression on the appreciative audience.
Jean-Francois Gardeil founder of the troupe brought out his talented son Emanuel Gardeil, Veronique Guin and David Ortega who excelled with their inimitable style, dominating voices, exuberance and expressions. The concerts yielded a handsome amount of more than 3.5 million, sufficient to provide free medical care, food and shelter to deprived cancer patients for one year at AMTI's free hospice.
Although opera music is not very popular east of Suez, successive French consul generals, including the present incumbent Pierre Seillan have been instrumental in introducing and promoting this sublime vocal art in Karachi to raise funds for cancer patients.-PR