The Citadel Festival for Music and Singing will take place between 15 and 28 August at the historic Citadel of Salah Al-Din.

Organized by the Cairo Opera House, and under the management of Lamia Zayed (the opera's chairwoman), the 14-day festival will host two concerts daily, one starting at 8pm and one at 10pm.

Check the full programme here.

The opening event will feature Marimba player Nesma Abdel-Aziz and singer Carmen Soliman.

The following days will showcase renowned artists, such as Hany Shaker, Ali El-Haggar, Medhat Saleh, and Hisham Abbas who were also present in the last edition.

Black Theama band, who are celebrating 20 years this year, are also in the line-up. The same day will also feature Loai, a singer with a two-decade-long presence in the music scene.

Other well-known independent names include Nesma Mahgoub, Hamza Namira, Dina El-Wedidi, Saad El-Oud, alongside Glass Onion, a band that features the Beatles' songs.

Fathy Salama and Mahmoud El-Tohamy will hold a Sufism vs. Modernism concert, a project that was launched in 2018 and most recently participated in the Cairo Opera House Summer Festival (31 July).

Following their regular practice, Cairo Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Ahmed Atef, will take the stage on Saturday 24 August, performing music from Hollywood films.

Among other musicians are Ehab Tawfik, Nadia Mostafa, Samar Tarek, students from the Talents Development Centre, Indian musicians, Sufi chanters Yassin El-Tohamy and Inshad Troupe, The Arabic Music Ensemble, and the pianist Amr Selim.

For the 3rd year in a row, Egyptian composer Omar Khairat and his orchestra, conducted by Nayer Nagui, will be closing the festival.

Ticket price for all events is EGP 60, through the booth at the entry of the Citadel.

The previous edition of the festival featured numerous artists, like Aziz Maraka, Hisham Kharma, Faya Younan, and Walid Toufic.

Since its inauguration in 1989, the aim of the Citadel Festival for Music and Singing has been to enrich people’s cultural awareness and bring music to people who might not be interested in attending formal concerts. 

Throughout the years, the festival has grown, presenting concerts at numerous venues located at the Citadel including The Panorama Theatre, Seret El-Gabal, and El-Mahka Theatre.