Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

A gala concert entitled "Azerbaijani Multiculturalism" will be held in New York City.

The event will be held at Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center on November 18.

The concert is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the works of great national composer Gara Garayev, Azertag reported.

Music pieces of prominent Azerbaijani composers Fikret Amirov, Gara Garayev, Faig Sujaddinov, Tofiq Quliyev, as well as foreign composers Franz Waxman, Frederic Chopin, Ernesto Lecuona, George Gershwin, Ruperto Chapi.

The project is organized with the support of the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora and the National Music and Global Culture Society.

On May 28, 1918, Azerbaijan declared its independence establishing the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, which became the first secular parliamentary democracy in the Muslim World and recognized by other democratic nations, including the United States of America.

During the short period of independence Azerbaijan granted all people the rights to vote regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, and religion, becoming the first Muslim nation to give women equal political rights with men, an accomplishment preceding the United States. Azerbaijan’s independence was interrupted in 1920, when it was invaded by Bolshevists, and forcefully incorporated into the USSR in 1922 to restore its independence only in 1991.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz