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In partnership with the Embassy of Spain Islamabad, Lahore’s Alhamra Art Centre presented an evening of classical music with celebrated cellist Aldo Mata and pianist Qi Shen on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion in his inaugural speech, Lahore Arts Council Board of Governors Chairman Razi Ahmed welcomed the audience for the evening’s cello concert co-hosted with the Embassy.

Mr Ahmed said, “We hope that this beautiful evening of music will deepen the cultural exchange and friendship between our two nations. A special note of gratitude is in order to Ambassador Jose De Ory for being a friend of Pakistan and for the incredible contributions to showcase the very best of Spanish creativity before our audience.”

The cello and piano duo formed by Mata and Qi was founded in the United States in 1997. Since then, they have performed concerts and recitals throughout Europe, notably at the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, in North America at the Ganz Hall in Chicago, South America’s EAFIT Concert Hall in Colombia, and Asia’s Hakuju Hall in Japan and Harbin Concert Hall in China. Their repertoire spans from Bach to contemporary music, with a special emphasis — given their residence in Seville — on romantic Spanish music for this ensemble.

Mata plays a 1787 Nadotti cello and has been invited as cello soloist and professor in France, Italy, Japan, USA, Brazil, Germany, Pakistan, Spain, etc. He has written articles on the Bach Suites, the art of portamento, editions of Del Campo’s quartets, and more. He is a professor at music schools in Madrid, Albacete and Seville, as well as a member of Al Ayre Español, Zahir Ensemble, Fanny Davies Ensemble and Concerto de Cavalieri, among others.

Qi has won several prizes in competitions at the Chicago Fine Arts Piano Competition, the MTNA-Wurlitzer Competition and she’s won the Irene Tintner Award. She has performed in masterclasses with Menahem Pressler, Dalton Baldwin, and Janos Starker.

Currently based in Spain, she collaborates with ensembles such as the Orquesta de Castilla y León and Modus Novus, and has recorded chamber works by Pedro Blanco. She frequently appears in recitals with Mata in the US, China, Spain, South America, and Japan.

A good number of the audience attended the concert and enjoyed the performance. The stage had beautiful and dreamy lighting and its corners were bedecked with flowers.

Originally published in Dawn, October 1st, 2025