In the mid-90s, Central Asia lacked civil and financial institutions after decades of Soviet rule had come to an end. AKDN expanded its presence there, with economic and social development activities. A new cultural programme was also planned. “And what His Highness has been doing for decades now is proving consistently, through the work of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, that when it's properly looked after and when it's properly invested into, culture not only stops being a burden on somebody else's budget, but really becomes a trampoline from which all the other activities can grow.”

Simultaneously, cellist Yo-Yo Ma was establishing the Silk Road Project in the US to promote multicultural artistic collaboration and exchange, making Fairouz wonder why composers from Central Asia were not creating music at the same level as those from China, Iran or India. “Because this music is the very fabric of communities' life, it became dangerous [to the rulers],” she realised. “When a new type of citizen needs to be created, it's the music that needs to be taken away. The venerable art of ustod-shogird, the master apprentice, has been destroyed…There was no new generation of artists, nor a new generation of audiences.”

To revitalise the musical traditions of Central Asia, AKMP sought out masters and gave them the administrative and financial means to teach: in Kazakhstan, music tuition based on AKMP’s method is now available to all secondary school students. Next, they staged concerts in world-famous venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, to raise the social status of musicians in their home countries. “We only put on stage the music of the highest quality because it touches the hearts and souls of the listeners, no matter what cultural background they come from.” They began to produce music, to commission new music and mentor aspiring musicians. Finally, the Awards were established, open to artists beyond the geographical scope of AKMP.

“When we were building the Music Programme, His Highness would never miss a live performance. He would talk with the artists to understand what they needed the most, and what was the best way of getting there. He sat down on the floor next to an Afghan rubab player in Paris and in the space of five minutes, we pretty much got the understanding of what needed to be done in the next 15 years. That willingness to recognise how much music does for a community, for a society, that to me is unprecedented.

When the kids who came to our academy back in 2003 have now become Director of the National Conservatory, Director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Director of the National Maqam Orchestra, Director of the National Radio and Television…that's when you really see the impact,” Fairouz concludes.