Classical Music

The Department of Classical Music has been a part of Meta House since 2010. It organizes various concerts, from solo-shows to orchestra performances, offers musical education and promotes Western Classical Music in Cambodia.

Other activities include providing space for practice and rehearsals, supporting the international exchange of composers and musicians, consulting regarding the acquisition of instruments as well as research and documentation.

“Educating people on Western Classical Music means educating them on the historical development of an art form. This supports the idea that such a development is only possible within the respective culture itself. In other words, the experience of Western classical music as a historical process may help to revitalize the same consciousness in the Cambodian people concerning their own classical music traditions. Combining cultural exchange with arts education allows the audience not only to get a glimpse into a foreign understanding of aesthetics but also to reflect upon their own music culture and strengthen it,” says director Anton Isselhardt.

The period preceding Cambodian independence to the late 1960s was one of cultural change and modernization in the Cambodian arts. The first European influences date from somewhat earlier, but from this time so-called ‘modern music’ (music composed in Western tradition and instrumentation) began to develop mainly in urban areas and it seems to have taken two forms: ‘popular music’ and a ‘more classicized style’ based on principles and knowledge of music theory, harmony and orchestration.

The department’s ongoing effort is to invite new ensembles and musicians from all over the globe for the benefit of an international standard in musical education in the Kingdom of Cambodia. A special focus is aimed at the inter-Asian exchange of musicians, which strengthens Cambodia’s ties to other countries in the region.