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Celebrating 55 years of Maldivian independence with orchestral rendition of 'O Wazan'

Mariyam Malsa
30 July 2020, MVT 15:44
Riley Sherrief on the cover of a poster for One Orchestra's 'O Wazan' version. PHOTO: ONE ORCHESTRA
Mariyam Malsa
30 July 2020, MVT 15:44

One Orchestra, on Sunday, released an orchestral version of 'O Wazan', a well known Maldivian song, on the occasion of Maldives' 55th Independence Day.

Partially sponsored by Visit Maldives, One Orchestra's rendition of 'O Wazan' features 44 musicians from more than 20 countries.

Award-winning composer and founder Michael Amadi arranged the song after Riley Sherrief, a local self-taught violinist, reached out with the concept.

"It was a challenge they took upon themselves and a challenge I took upon myself", stated Riley, referring to certain difficulties in coordination between the orchestra members amid COVID-19 restrictions implemented across the globe.

Members of One Orchestra pose for a photograph with composer Michael Amadi. PHOTO: ONE ORCHESTRA

Speaking to The Edition, Riley noted that preparations were underway from May onwards to complete the song by the intended release date of July 26.

The violinist welcomed the overwhelmingly positive response to 'O Wazan', revealing that the "explosion" of reactions exceeded his expectations as well as those of orchestra members.

"When Riley reach out to me I was very inspired", said Amadi, who graduated from the London College of Music in 2019 with an MA in Composition for Film and Television.

According to the composer, the aim of releasing the song was "to bring people together through music and celebrate Maldivian culture".

"I hope this project can be a step towards realising that we are all connected."

'O Wazan' can be streamed on OneOrchestra's website and Youtube channel as well as from its Instagram and Facebook accounts.

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