Latest news with #CairoOpera
Al-Ahram Weekly
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Conductor Alaa Abdel-Salam appointed Cairo Opera House new chairperson - Music - Arts & Culture
Egyptian Minister of Culture Ahmed Hanno has appointed conductor Alaa Abdel-Salam the new chairperson of the National Cultural Centre (the Cairo Opera House), succeeding Lamia Zayed. Following his appointment on Sunday, Abdel-Salam released his first official statement on Monday through the Ministry of Culture's media channels. In his statement, Abdel-Salam confirmed that the Cairo Opera's upcoming phase will involve implementing a series of initiatives to maintain its distinguished status, which was established in 1988. He emphasized that achieving the social well-being of artists and administrators and encouraging them to exert more effort to continue their contributions are among his priorities. Furthermore, he stressed that the opera doors are open to all intellectuals and artists without discrimination, positioning it as one of Egypt's key institutions of serious creativity. The renowned conductor also expressed his pride in all those who represent contemporary voices of soft power, continuing the legacy of the world's oldest civilizations. Abdel-Salam succeeds Lamia Zayed, who served as the National Cultural Centre (Cairo Opera House) chairperson since February 2024. Who is Abdel-Salam? Abdel-Salam graduated with honours from the Faculty of Music Education at Helwan University in 1996, specializing in the cello, and was appointed an assistant lecturer at the same faculty the same year. He earned his master's degree in 2002 and a PhD in 2007. Then, he became an associate professor in 2014 and a professor in 2022 at the same faculty. Additionally, Abdel-Salam has been a visiting professor at the American University in Cairo since 2022. He has worked with the Cairo Opera House since 1993, when he joined the Youth Orchestra, conducted by Said Awad, as a cellist. Since 1995, he has performed with numerous orchestras, often in concerts featuring renowned Egyptian and Arab singers. In 2005, he was promoted to first cellist at the Arab Music Orchestra, one of the music ensembles under the Cairo Opera House's umbrella. In 2019, Abdel-Salam supervised the production of Sayed Darwish's album of songs, which was released under the auspices of the American University in Cairo to mark the centenary of the 1919 Revolution. Most recently, Abdel-Salam became the principal conductor and artistic director of the Religious Song Ensemble, Cairo Opera's only religious troupe. In 2023, he was appointed the principal conductor of the Alexandria Opera Ensemble for Music and Arab Singing. In early February, Abdel-Salam conducted the Arab Music Orchestra in their performance commemorating the 50th death anniversary of Um Kalthoum at the Paris Philharmonic Hall (Philharmonie de Paris), France. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
PROGRAMME: Cairo, Alexandria, Damanhour Operas kick off Ramadan Evenings - Music - Arts & Culture
Cairo and Alexandria Opera Houses have launched their Ramadan Evenings programme on Sunday, which mostly includes performances relative to the holy Muslim month by the likes of Medhat Saleh, Wust El-Balad, and El Hadra Ensemble, with Damanhour Opera launching soon. The Ramadan Evenings feature an array of music genres, with troupes often taking centre stage and performing heritage and folksongs tied to the holy month. The Cairo Opera House hosts its programme across multiple venues, including its Open Air Theatre, Small Hall, and Main Hall. Concerts are also held under the Cairo Opera's umbrella, mainly at the Arabic Music Institute and the Goumhoria Theatre. The Alexandria and Damanhour Opera Houses also participate in the festivities. The open-air theatre kickstarted the activities on 9 March with El-Leila El-Kebira performance staged by the music and singing students of the Talents Development Centre, an educational body of the Cairo Opera. The day also saw the Religious Song Ensemble perform at the Arabic Music Institute. On Monday, Ramadan was celebrated with Sufi chanting by El-Hadra Ensemble. As the month progresses, the programme will continue to cater to various tastes, with highlights like El-Hadra's concert with Moroccan chanter Jawad El-Shary in Cairo (14 March) and Alexandria (17 March), religious chanter Yassin El-Touhami on 16 March, marimba player Nesma Abdel Aziz on 20 March, Wust El-Balad band on 21 March, among others. Check out the full programme below. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Conductor Alaa Abdel-Salam appointed Cairo Opera House new chairperson
Egyptian Minister of Culture Ahmed Hanno has appointed conductor Alaa Abdel-Salam the new chairperson of the National Cultural Centre (the Cairo Opera House), succeeding Lamia Zayed. Following his appointment on Sunday, Abdel-Salam released his first official statement on Monday through the Ministry of Culture's media channels. In his statement, Abdel-Salam confirmed that the Cairo Opera's upcoming phase will involve implementing a series of initiatives to maintain its distinguished status, which was established in 1988. He emphasized that achieving the social well-being of artists and administrators and encouraging them to exert more effort to continue their contributions are among his priorities. Furthermore, he stressed that the opera doors are open to all intellectuals and artists without discrimination, positioning it as one of Egypt's key institutions of serious creativity. The renowned conductor also expressed his pride in all those who represent contemporary voices of soft power, continuing the legacy of the world's oldest civilizations. Abdel-Salam succeeds Lamia Zayed, who served as the National Cultural Centre (Cairo Opera House) chairperson since February 2024. Who is Abdel-Salam? Abdel-Salam graduated with honours from the Faculty of Music Education at Helwan University in 1996, specializing in the cello, and was appointed an assistant lecturer at the same faculty the same year. He earned his master's degree in 2002 and a PhD in 2007. Then, he became an associate professor in 2014 and a professor in 2022 at the same faculty. Additionally, Abdel-Salam has been a visiting professor at the American University in Cairo since 2022. He has worked with the Cairo Opera House since 1993, when he joined the Youth Orchestra, conducted by Said Awad, as a cellist. Since 1995, he has performed with numerous orchestras, often in concerts featuring renowned Egyptian and Arab singers. In 2005, he was promoted to first cellist at the Arab Music Orchestra, one of the music ensembles under the Cairo Opera House's umbrella. In 2019, Abdel-Salam supervised the production of Sayed Darwish's album of songs, which was released under the auspices of the American University in Cairo to mark the centenary of the 1919 Revolution. Most recently, Abdel-Salam became the principal conductor and artistic director of the Religious Song Ensemble, Cairo Opera's only religious troupe. In 2023, he was appointed the principal conductor of the Alexandria Opera Ensemble for Music and Arab Singing. In early February, Abdel-Salam conducted the Arab Music Orchestra in their performance commemorating the 50th death anniversary of Um Kalthoum at the Paris Philharmonic Hall (Philharmonie de Paris), France. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
22-02-2025
- General
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Stiola: An exhibition inspired by Predynastic Egypt - Visual Art - Arts & Culture
Stiola is a pottery exhibition by Saleha Al-Masry, inspired by Egypt's Predynastic era (6000-3150 BCE), which opened at the Salah Taher Gallery last week. Stiola represents the second installment in the Keramos exhibition series, which Al-Masry initiated in January 2024. The series showcases pottery works that embody the essence of Egyptian heritage by utilizing smoke effects during the reduction phase. The process begins with selecting a pottery design influenced by Predynastic eras. Al-Masry based her work on heritage found in ancient settlements that evolved into towns scattered across Upper Egypt, such as Merimde Beni Salama, Deir Tasa, Badari, and Naqada, as well as those representing the Maadi Predynastic civilization, where the present-day Maadi district of Cairo is situated. Subsequently, ancient script symbols — such as those from ancient Egyptian, Cuneiform, Sasanian, Sumerian, Akkadian, and Aramaic languages — were adapted to enrich the surface of the pottery aesthetically. Al-Masry's intent was not to convey literal meanings through these scripts but to harness their visual appeal and add a unique visual element to each piece. While the artist remains faithful to historical references in technique and form, conscious interventions infuse her work with modern conceptual dimensions. Those interventions include treating script lines as formative elements, echoing trends from 20th-century Western art movements like abstract calligraphy, where letters transcend their semantic functions to serve purely aesthetic purposes. This approach is facilitated by using scripts unfamiliar to most viewers, arranged in compositions that harmonize with the contours and dimensions of the pottery. The works convey a profound humanistic message, emphasizing the importance of an individual's connection to their cultural heritage, which is the foundation of their identity. The exhibition opening saw high-profile attendees, including Ambassador Ahmed Farid, Deputy Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Lamia Zayed, Chairwoman of the Cairo Opera; Walid Qannoush, Head of the Fine Arts Sector; and Gamal Hosni, Director of Exhibitions and Art Collections at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Renowned artists, including Salah El-Meligy and Farid Fadel, were also present. The exhibition will run until Thursday, 27 February, at the Salah Taher Hall of the Cairo Opera House in Zamalek, Cairo. Short link:
