Ghada Shbeir and Ghalia Benali
Ghalia Benali and Ghada Shbeir hold performances during the last week of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Summer Festival, which has been running from 30 July and will end 4 September.
Ghalia Benali is known for fusing musical influences and traditions from the East and West, mixing classical Arabic styles with jazz and Indian music.
Not only a singer, composer and songwriter, Benali is also a successful actress, starring in the film La Saison des homes, and is an occasional graphic designer.
A frequent performer in Egypt where she has a strong fan base, Benali’s latest concert was held on 29 August at the Cairo's historic Saladin Citadel, as part of the ongoing Citadel Festival for Music and Singing.
Ghada Shbeir will be performing at the closing ceremony of the festival 4 September.
Shbeir is professional singer of ancient Middle Eastern folk songs of Assyrian, Arabo-Andalusian, and ancient Maronite origins.
An established academic before being a singer, she has published two books on music: one on Sayyed Darwish and the other on Arabo-Andalusian music.
Her debut album, Al-Muwashahat, was released in 2006, featuring rare Arabic poetry from 10th century Andalusia, arranged with recent compositions.
Shbeir’s music employs oriental instruments, such as the oud, qanun, ney, as well as violin and bass.
Programme:
Ghali Benali: Wednesday 2 September, 8.30pm
Ghada Shbeir: Friday 4 September, 8:30pm
Check the festival's programme here and for more events and our recommendations of other artistic activities for the week, see here.
Both performances take place at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria.
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