The soaring voice of the Ahmadi Music Group greeted me as I made my way to the rehearsal hall, where a motley group of people with a passion for music were readying themselves for the World Premiere of the Jazz Oratorio ‘Gideon’ on January 25 at the Tarek Al Ali Music Theater in Maidan Hawalli. It was an extraordinary ensemble of singers and musicians cutting across age groups and nationalities that greeted me, clearly enjoying their music, their bodies swaying to the rhythm, totally engrossed as they were led through the piece by the powerful soprano voice of Tonya Ray Khan. Composed by Harriet Petherick Bushman and Raphael Bushman and presented by the Ahmadi Music Group with Kuwait Jazz Collective, the musical production ‘Gideon’ gives a modern interpretation to an ancient tale. It is the sort of composition that inspires admiration and  pleasure with an original and compelling jazz oratorio and swinging instrumentals.
An award winning composer of instrumental and vocal music for both theatre and the concert stage, Harriet Bushman was trained as a concert pianist at the Royal Academy of Music in London, in Florence and Lausanne. After several years of touring as a soloist and chamber musician, she began to compose work to include in her programmes. Harriet writes in many different styles and is currently concentrating on musical theatre. The Musical Director of the Ahmadi Group is Richard Bushman, Harriet’s husband and a talented musician in his own right. The Group has performed several of the composer’s smaller choral works in their seasonal concerts, but this is the first work that has been specifically written for this choir.
 Passion
Both the Bushmans inherited their passion for music as a legacy. One of Harriet’s great great grandmothers, both of whom were musically inclined, led a ladies orchestra, the first of its kind in Victorian England. “There is music on every side of the family and our kids have got big doses of it,” smiles Harriet, a fact well borne out by their son Raphael, a serious jazz musician who has composed parts of ‘Gideon’.
‘Gideon’ recounts the ancient story of the boyish warrior-prophet who rises from obscurity as the “youngest in the poorest family in the smallest tribe” of all his people. His untrained army approaches their ‘Midanite oppressors’ under cover of darkness, holding no weapons, but only a dish, a lantern, and a trumpet. On his signal, they break the dishes, wave the lanterns, and blow the trumpets, causing confusion and panic and gaining a great victory.
Climactic
Gideon then reigns as a righteous judge for forty years. When asked what led to the production Harriet replied, “Setting the story of Gideon as a jazz oratorio was entirely my husband’s idea. In a rash moment I asked him what he thought I should write next and he told me the story of Gideon and wrote a treatment of it; that is to say, he studied the story and then divided it into scenes. I sent this treatment to my American lyricist, Angela Morrison, and requested that she write lyrics to describe what was happening in each scene.” Harriet first thought of writing it as a modern contemporary piece because of her compositional and classical piano training.
“I am not a jazz musician. It is not my language. I am a classicist or a modern contemporary musician, but as we came close to it I thought this would definitely be the right genre.” The use of jazz, she felt would heighten the music especially at the climactic moment when a battle is won by trumpeters frightening away the enemy. The brash jazz sound with beautiful vocals combine to create a sound that is universal and appropriate. “At a deep level it makes me think how our daily life is full of brash sounds and yet we are trying to find a spiritual centre,” explains Harriet. Richard agrees. “The mix of complexity and discipline of classical music with the energy of jazz makes a very exciting sound.”
The Ahmadi Music Group is made up of 60 plus singers from many different nationalities here in Kuwait. “The choir is perhaps the oldest arts organization in Kuwait. But I do think that we do much more complex things than when we started three years ago,” said Richard who took over the conductorship in 2007. When asked what it is like to work with a group of possibly amateur singers from different countries with different accents, Harriet shares, “Community choirs are reasonably similar in most parts of the world. Everyone is welcome, whether they can read music, or count correctly or sing in tune or not. It is about sharing music, feeling confident whatever your musical level and having a great time. We never seem to do very easy music and the choir always rises to the performance. One of the most enjoyable parts of working with the choir is helping people of very uneven musical backgrounds to have an exciting musical experience together. I should mention that amongst our number there are several extremely talented singers who are a joy to work with. Several of them will solo with this performance.”
The lead soprano Tonya has a formidable voice and presence. “You can see what she brings to the production in the way she sings, it is as if with her whole self. She is just so absolutely involved in the music,” lauds Harriet. The story of the Ahmadi Group is the tale of a group of people who had lost touch with their musical self, overridden by the pressures of everyday life and their eventual discovery of that self, hidden away by years of disuse.
It came as a pleasant surprise to see Deborah Jones, the US Ambassador to Kuwait, singing her part in the choir. “She has got a fabulous low Alto voice with a very brilliant jazz feel to it,” informed the composer. Gideon will be played by Chad Van Heel, an artiste with an astonishing musicality and an incredible range. Don Gabriel, another talented musician will play the singing narrator, who will take the audience through the sixteen part production. “One of our priorities is to create performance opportunities for professional musicians in Kuwait,” says Richard, a banker by profession with a passion for music.
“Like me most of the people in the choir are amateurs, but a few of them are really world class professionals who do not get a chance to perform very much in Kuwait so one thing we like to do is create events for them.” It is not that difficult to write a piece of music and forget about it, says the composer, but it is not easy to achieve the Herculean task of putting in months of hard, tedious work and orchestrating a successful production of this magnitude. It is a feat that has been achieved by the group led by Richard Bushman.
Although she has several successful musical theatres to her credit, yet did Harriet ever feel she was losing out as a professional in Kuwait? But the composer argues, “Being in Kuwait has given me a tremendous outlet for my work. Starting with The Little Prince with The British School of Performing Arts, which was a fund-raiser for Bayt Abdullah in 2007, I have had the honour of collaborating with BAIA, (British Academy of International Arts) as well as AMG to bring about music for Shakespeare plays, choral pieces and a full-scale musical for young teens, The Dream Dealer. The right platform for any composer is where their compositions can be developed and performed and I feel extremely fortunate to be in a place where my work is appreciated.” Harriet’s brief shows that she is constantly straddling two continents with  many of her works being produced in the UK. Recently she received news of the performance of the Dream Dealer taking place in Japan and Australia.
Choir
When asked about her audience in Kuwait she says, “We look forward to welcoming Kuwait dwellers who come from all over the world as well as Kuwaitis to hear Gideon. In our choir we have members from many different countries and cultures, and they bring to our performances a variety which is entirely in keeping with the spirit of the international community here. In our audiences there will be seasoned concert-goers as well as first — timers; all are welcome.
Jazz is the perfect medium for a fun night out — we hope we will have a great crowd.” As a musician Harriet Bushman is delighted with the way “Gideon’ has progressed. “Any writer will tell you that finishing something is euphoric because there are many times on the journey when you feel completely inadequate and want to give up. Getting it as far as performance is terrific and the next challenge will be to get it published and distributed. Naturally we entertain hopes that choirs all over the world will perform it and be inspired by the great messages that are contained in the Gideon story.” For an artist who wants to be true to her inner musical self, she is careful about not allowing herself any self indulgence or pandering to the audience, and that eventually pays off. Gideon promises a memorable evening with a production that will move its audience through the effective marriage of jazz, classical and contemporary music to create a composition that is fascinating and eclectic. ‘Gideon’ will play at  Tarek Al Ali Theater in Maidan Hawalli on Jan 25, 26 and 27. For further information contact 66184192.