Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony of a new administrative and educational building of the National Conservatory

The opening ceremony of a new administrative and educational building of the National Conservatory has been held.

The ceremony was attended by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva.

The head of state cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the building.

The Azerbaijan National Conservatory, which was set up by a decree signed by nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev in 2000, is one of the higher education institutions of the country to start operating in the period of independence. The relevance of such issues as the study and teaching of national culture at an important junction in the public and cultural life of the country necessitated the establishment of the National Conservatory. By a decree of the great leader dated 10 August 2001 "On the establishment of the material and technical infrastructure of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory", Baku Music College and the National Art School were incorporated into the National Conservatory. Thus, the attention nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev paid to the development of education and culture presented our people with another educational institution, the National Conservatory, at a new historical period.

In subsequent years, the National Conservatory continued to be the focus of attention of President Ilham Aliyev. The construction of a new administrative and educational building of the National Conservatory began in 2006. In 2012, President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on additional measures for the construction of this educational institution and allocated financial resources. This is explained by the fact that the head of state pays special attention to the development of culture in the country. Culture centers are reconstructed and ancient historical monuments restored across the country. Important steps have been taken to improve the social status of artists and everyone who works in this field. The work carried out under the leadership of the President of Azerbaijan is supported by the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva. The activities to promote Azerbaijani culture on a global scale and develop the national art of mugham are now playing an important role in shaping up the international image of our country.

Informing the head of state, the rector of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, People's Artist Siyavush Karimi said that the building has all the conditions for the organization of the educational process at a high level. There is a museum describing the activities of nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev related to the development of culture in Azerbaijan.

The library of the National Conservatory has all the necessary literature. The classrooms are equipped with modern facilities. The gym is well suited for a variety of competitions.

The Azerbaijan National Conservatory operates performance and history-theory faculties.

The faculties have dean’s offices and eight chairs. The new building of the conservatory where 287 students are receiving education can provide training to a total of 1,000 students. The teaching staff of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory includes outstanding performers of folk instruments, professional conductors, singers, renowned musicologists, composers and scholars in social sciences. In order to combine education and science, the National Conservatory has scientific laboratories on the "Application of folk music" and "Study of national musical instruments". The laboratories focus on the restoration of ancient folk musical instruments, their improvement, application and training. One of the key areas of scientific and practical activity is the collection of folk music samples, their design, recording and use in the learning process.

Then President Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva met with the teachers of the National Conservatory and prominent figures of culture.

Greeting the ceremony participants, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- It is a wonderful and memorable day today. A new building of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory is opening in Baku. I heartily congratulate all of you on this occasion. So the conservatory has its own beautiful building now. I have just been shown pictures of the previous building. It is impossible to compare it with the current building.

The conditions here are at the highest level. There are excellent classrooms, concert halls and a sports complex here. I have been told that there is a recording studio and a mugham club as well. So there are all the conditions, and I am sure that the activity of the Conservatory will be even more successful in the future, as it will be possible to admit more students. In my opinion, the number of students may now be doubled. But, of course, the selection should be carried out correctly. And you know this better than anyone.

In general, such is the level of higher education institutions built in Azerbaijan in recent years. We are repairing and building secondary schools and universities, and these are Azerbaijani standards. The creative work ongoing in our country today has had its impact on this area too. All of the new and renovated higher education institutions are at a wonderful level. Of course, the learning process should also be organized at a high level. I have no doubt about that. If such famous artists as you render their support to the conservatory, I am sure that the students coming here will take your place in the future. There is a need for that because Azerbaijani musical art is very rich, it is known worldwide, and the foundation of our musical art is national music. National music shows the talent of the Azerbaijani people, it shows the world how talented we are. National music is very important for the preservation of national traditions. National music is preserved by artists, masters and composers. So I am sure that these wonderful traditions will be continued.

We should take into consideration that the youth shows great interest in the national music. The competitions and festivals conducted in our country further increase this interest. The mugham festivals and competitions shown live stimulate youth in this direction. The works of our great composers also contain national motifs. Our great classical works were created on the basis of national music.

We are paying attention to veteran performers. We revere the memory of our brilliant composers. There are statues of Uzeyir Hajibayli and Muslim Magomayev in Baku. More recently, the statues of Fikrat Amirov, Bulbul and Gara Garayev have been erected. This is a sign of respect of the state and nation for the memory of our great composers and performers.

In general, the musical life of Azerbaijan is very rich. Numerous events, festivals and international mugham contests are held in Azerbaijan. This again shows that the homeland of mugham is Azerbaijan.

This is already recognized by the participants of this contest as well. It is very important because we first should seek to ensure that this unique art of ours lives forever and the world knows about it. The art of mugham is the pinnacle of world music, and the international mugham center built in Baku, the mugham contests held in Azerbaijan, the Gabala music festival and other festivals further enrich our musical life and turn Azerbaijan into a cultural center of the region. Today it is no secret that Azerbaijan is an economic and political center of the region. This is already a reality. At the same time, Azerbaijan demonstrates a leading role in the humanitarian sphere and in the sphere of culture. The international humanitarian forums and music festivals held in our country attract attention and allow us the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the world more fully.

At the same time, our artists achieve great success in other areas. In a short time Azerbaijani singers won the first place in the "Eurovision" song contest. Our musicians win leading positions in international jazz festivals. In the contests of folk music we are also in leading places. What does this show? It shows that our people are talented. I am very glad that our national music has a positive effect on other areas – on classical music, on pop music, etc., especially now when the world is in the process of globalization, which, whether we like it or not, covers various fields. Recently, there has been more discussion about negative sides of globalization, and it is natural because this process inevitably shakes national fundamentals.

Therefore, we must make sure that the younger generation grows in the national spirit, is patriotic and loyal to the motherland, and works for the country. This requires a strong sense of patriotism and the national spirit. And the national spirit is based on national traditions, music, literature and language. Therefore, this area is generally very important for the future development of our country.

We should all try to keep national music alive, develop and enrich it. Artists like you glorify and protect our national music, and show the path for our youth. Hundreds of thousands of viewers watch mugham contests on television and listen to young performers. I am also interested. Of course, your analysis is also interesting because this analysis reveals the nuances we do not know. In some way it is a lesson for all of us.

So I want to once again highlight your work in this area. I treat you with great respect. I am confident that you will continue to pass on your experience to the youth in these wonderful conditions.

I congratulate you again!

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Then President Ilham Aliyev talked with the teachers of the Conservatory and prominent figures of culture.

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After the meeting President Ilham Aliyev was presented with the national Azerbaijani musical instruments tar and kamancha.

Mugham was performed at the ceremony.

Then a picture was taken as a souvenir.

President Ilham Aliyev was presented with the model of the National Conservatory; he was also informed about the future works to be held here.

The head of state reviewed the canteen. It was noted that the swimming pool decorated with good taste was constructed within the building.