Mounir, 92 Arab Artists to Participate in 37 Concerts in Opera Theaters

The Egyptian Opera House held a press conference to announce the details of the 28th Edition of The Arab Music Festival and Conference, which will be held from 1 to 12 November 2019.

The press conference was attended by Dr. Magdy Saber, head of the Opera House, Musician Sami Hefnawi, musician Majid Sorour, poet Jamal Bakhit, poet Hani Abdel Karim, musician Mohamed Rahim, Dr. Rasha Toumoum, head of the Scientific and Media Committee and Mohamed Mounir, Director General of Opera Media Administration.

The conference began with a speech by the head of the Opera House who reviewed the activities to be presented; it include 37 concerts by 92 artists from 7 Arab countries: Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Syria and Oman; the activities will take place in different opera theaters in Cairo (large, small, Al- Gomhureya, Institute of Music Arab, Opera Alexandria and Damanhour Opera .

The festival will honor 12 personalities who enriched the artistic field in Egypt and the Arab world including the singer Mohammed Mounir, the great poet Farouk Juwaida, the Bahraini musician Wahid Khan, the singer Riham Abdul Hakim, the singer Mai Farouk, the Iraqi poet and writer Karim Odeh (Karim Iraqi) Musician Amr Ismail, Maestro Adel Iskandar, violinist Moheb Fouad Mehanna, percussionist Dr. Hisham El Araby, researcher Salwa El Shawan and artist of Arabic calligraphy Hamdy Zayed.

The Arab Music Festival is one of the most important international specialized forums, confirming the success of its previous edition for 27 years; it played a role in enriching the artistic scene in Egypt and the Arab countries.

The Director of the Festival thanked Dr. Enas Abdel Dayem, Minister of Culture, for her support to the festival development and praised the efforts of the members of the preparatory scientific committees; he saluted all Egyptian, Arab artists and researchers who participated in the events throughout the previous edition.

On his part, the musician Helmi Bakr said that the Arab Music Festival is at the forefront of specialized international forums. He explained that the festival development reflects the mixture of modernity with heritage, noting that the name of the festival carries the values of originality and valuable art.

As for the poet Gamal Bakheet, he added that Egypt possesses a rich artistic heritage characterized by richness, he also praised the distinguished role played by the Ministry of Culture in forming the Egyptian awareness and upgrading the society through its activities in various parts of Egypt.

He said that the opera has celebrated its 31st anniversary, coinciding with the 28th edition of Arabic Music Festival and the 150th anniversary of inaugurating of the Opera Khepe.

The media specialist Mohamed Mounir, a member of the preparatory committee, said that the Ministry of Culture is organizing a huge celebration of this occasion, as Egypt is one of the first countries that dealt with the art of opera, stressing that a valuable program is prepared to fit the leadership of Egypt.

The poet Hani Abdel Karim said that the Arab Music Festival and Conference has succeeded, since its birth, in providing multiple voices to the audience, praising the role of the Egyptian opera in creating a creative state in Cairo and the Arab World.

On the other hand, the musician Majid Sorour described the Arab Music Festival as the annual feast of valuable art, stressing that the events witnessed a distinctive dose of pure music that works on raising consciousness.

Musician Sami El Hefnawy said that the festival starts from Cairo, the capital of art in the Arab world. The opera in Cairo is a center of enlightenment, revealing serious and distinctive talents; he thanked the Egyptian culture Ministry for preserving the fine valuable art in Egypt.

As for the accompanying scientific conference, Dr. Rasha Toumoum, head of the scientific committee, said that the conference of this edition is titled "Music and Society in the Arab World".

It will discuss three axes: Dialectic of the relationship between the Arab youth and its Musical heritage, music and the Arab child between the past and the present, the impact of social mobility on the creativity of women in music field.

The conference will be accompanied by a lecture and a workshop to discuss “Arabic Maqam” which is the most important element in Arabic music to revive the heritage of “ Maqam” using modern technology.