Despite the Taliban’s brutal repression of music in Afghanistan today, the region’s extraordinary musical history spans thousands of years and embraces a plethora of influences and practices, ranging from folk music and Hindustani classical traditions to historically-European classical and global popular music genres. Drawing on my collaborative research with the Orchestras of Afghanistan Research Stakeholders Group, I explore the politics and practices of the country’s ‘blended’ orchestras—those that bridge these diverse musical traditions. Active in Afghanistan during the mid-to-late 20th century, and again in the second decade of the 21st century, these ensembles initially emerged to meet the demands of military and entertainment contexts, later taking on more explicit national cultural and geo-political agendas. Their day-to-day practices were marked by these generative forces, giving rise to their unique sonic profiles and the social organisation of their artistic work. While music and musicians are silenced, repressed, and driven underground by the Taliban regime, this blended orchestral practice continues to evolve, developed by musicians living in exile today. This talk examines the significance of blended orchestral practices in Afghanistan, exploring how they reflect and negotiate the country’s complex cultural and political histories while drawing attention to ongoing efforts by practitioners to preserve and sustain them.