The Musicians’ World Cup

Joris Laenen, Qatar

Joris Laenen is the principal trumpet player with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. Originally from Belgium, he moved to Qatar 14 years ago. As part of the GOALS program, Joris tells his story of why 2022 is such an important year for musicians in Qatar, the similarities between athletes and musicians, and his hopes for the tournament.

As a member of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra in the build-up to the FIFA World Cup, I can see there are many similarities between being a professional orchestra musician and part of a professional football team.

Musicians and athletes start playing music or football because we enjoy it. Some are more talented than others. Talent, however, is not enough to make it as a professional. What you see on stage or in a stadium is the end product of years and years of hard work and commitment. I started playing trumpet at the age of 7 in my small village near Antwerp in Belgium.

To become a doctor or an architect, you can go to college when you are 18 and study for a few years, but to become a professional athlete or musician, you have to start at a very early age. It is essential to surround yourself with good coaches and teachers and train every day.

And, of course, the competition is immense. How many people play football globally, and how many are successful and can make a living through it? The same goes for music. So many children learn the piano or the violin, but only very few can make it into a career.

Success involves courage and risk. To become a professional musician, you study music in college with no guarantee of ever getting a job. The same goes for a football player; to make it big, young players try to join famous clubs at an early age, but there is no guarantee that you will ever get a spot in the professional team. Merit is all that counts; no diploma. Ph.D., or a good resume will get you to the top.

As a musician, you have to win a big international competition or win an audition to get a job; as an athlete, results are the only thing that counts. The road to success is paved with many obstacles and hardships, so only the most dedicated and talented will succeed.

Doing what you love can be a highly rewarding job, but it can also be a cruel world. Nobody in the audience cares about how you ‘feel’ on stage or when you have to take a penalty. They are only interested in results. With YouTube, instant replays of your success can be endlessly celebrated, but your failures can be seen everywhere.

Football has a status as the global game, a language that the world speaks; I think music is very similar. Especially with the musical style I play - classical music often does not use words or language. Therefore by default, it is a global language.

Music without words embraces emotions and can touch each one of us directly in our heart. Classical music certainly has its roots in Western culture, but especially over the last few decades, it has also taken over Latin American countries and many Asian countries. It can be understood by anyone, no matter your background.

During every concert, I try to connect with my audience. No matter which country we come from, we all share similar feelings, such as love, affection, sadness, melancholy, and music can immediately bring those out of us. To share these emotions in a concert hall can be a profound experience and can create a deep connection; what better way to reach across cultures and borders?

2022 is centered around the World Cup. We will most likely perform during the World Cup Opening Ceremony, and there are many ways to involve musicians and the orchestra during the actual tournament. During November and December 2022, tens of thousands of football fans will travel to Qatar, and many companies and institutions will grasp the opportunity to host events during the World Cup. As musicians, we will often be involved to liven them up and make them extra special. There are events planned in the desert and all over Qatar. Qatar wants to present itself as a global community with a rich cultural scene, and as musicians, we will do our best to make that happen.

I am looking forward to connecting directly with football fans since we will likely play in some fan zones. I was fortunate to live in Germany in 2006 when they hosted the World Cup, and it was an unforgettable experience.

You could feel the atmosphere everywhere. There was electricity in the air, one big party, four weeks long. Germany has a difficult past, and to be proud to be German made people very uneasy for a very long time. But in 2006 it was the first time where Germans really proudly stood together and sang their national anthem.

Music and the World Cup always go together. Every World Cup has an official soundtrack. Everyone remembers ‘La Copa De La Vida’ from 1998 in France or Waka Waka from South Africa in 2010.

World-famous artists will travel to Qatar to give concerts, and music will be played in fan zones, around the stadiums, and everywhere else. Music is a celebration of life.

Over the last two decades, Latin music has conquered the world, and I hope the World Cup in Qatar will be an opportunity for Middle Eastern music to get more into the spotlight.

Any World Cup is a celebration of nations, so the music will be celebratory but will send out a message of unity. The first official song is called “Better Together”, what a fantastic message to send out to the world. We should respect each other and that we are different...but we become better together.

Even our orchestra has 26 different nationalities.

My wife is also a professional musician and a few years ago we started our foundation to encourage and support local talents in Qatar. We teach, offer workshops, masterclasses and organise concerts. This all culminated in us organising the first Qatar National Music competition which was a huge success with more than 500 musicians taking part.

I personally started playing football when I was 7 years old. I was never the most technical player but could outrun almost any player in terms of stamina. Since studying music started taking up so much of my time, I stopped playing football in a team at 14, but have kept on playing occasionally with friends and with my orchestra colleagues. Musicians always have to be careful about injuries, especially the older we get! We have not played for a while but I am keen to start again with some fellow musicians.

With the 2022 World Cup, I am looking forward to two things. First of all, I hope the world gets to discover a region that is still largely unknown. I hope spectators will get to know the place that I have lived in for the last 14 years. I hope they discover the delicious food, the interesting culture, the beautiful museums, and the hospitality of the local population.

Qatar has always been a meeting place for different cultures. There are so many nationalities here in this country, people from all corners of the world with different religions, habits, and diverse cultural backgrounds. I think the country should be proud of that.

It is a melting pot of ideas, and people live together peacefully and in respect of each other. I very much value their kindness and hospitality. Above all I admire the respect for the elders and how families take care of each other.

The Middle East sometimes has a bad reputation with the rest of the world, but I hope the world will get to experience all of the hospitality and rich cultural heritage this region offers.

Secondly, I hope for Qatar and its people to be swept away by the positive vibe of all the spectators. I vividly remember swarms of Brazilian football fans taking over the Souq Waqif and chanting in the Metro during the FIFA Club World Cup.

Qatar is a great place for families to live, it is safe, but sometimes, there can be a lack of spontaneity and exuberance. I wish for fans to celebrate and dance in the street; I wish for lots of emotions and random people hugging in the street. And I hope for Qataris to embrace the world without any fear.