The All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) was founded in 1959 for the promotion of classical music in Pakistan. Ever since its inception, it has been a constant source of inspiration for thousands of music lovers nationwide.
Late Hayat Ahmed Khan has been the moving spirit behind APMC. To encourage the classical musicians/vocalists living in obscurity post partition, and particularly influenced by Roshan Ara’s claim to give up her Riyaz due to the lack of interested listeners, Mr. Hayat along with several music connoisseurs laid the foundation of APMC. This project, he hoped, would rejuvenate interest in classical music in Pakistan. Many well-established artists like Roshan Ara Begum, Akhtari Bai, Rasoolan Bai, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and Ustad Ghulam Hassan Shagan have performed at APMC concerts.
Over the years, APMC has also brought forth several amateurs in the field of classical music. Notable names include Fahim Mazhar, Abdur Rauf, Sara Zaman and several others.
APMC attracts music luminaries and aspiring artists alike to keep the classical music alive in the country. Not only that, both vocalists and instrumentalists from Afghanistan, Turkey, India, Japan, America and Germany, have benefited from the regular musical sittings held at APMC over the past forty-five years.
The APMC programmes, held on a monthly basis greatly enrich the cultural ethos of Lahore. Besides these monthly mehfils, APMC also hosts a yearly five-day festival in which musicians/vocalists from all over Pakistan perform till the wee hours of morning.
Few would know that APMC has also been instrumental in promoting classical dance in Pakistan. Performances of Naheed Siddiqui, Gopi Krishan and Sheema Kirmani hosted by the organization stand as evidence.
The Karachi chapter of the APMC was recently launched with the help and guidance of the late Hayat Ahmed Khan. For more information about the Karachi chapter, please visit apmckhi.org [site currently inactive].
One hopes that with the passing away of Hayat Ahmed Khan, the arch-patron of APMC, someone of equal love for music would come forward to continue with the noble aims and objectives of the organization.
