Not to be missed: Tributes to Gamal Salama, Baligh Hamdi at Cairo Opera, MedFest Festival at AUC

Ahram Online , Wednesday 11 Sep 2024

Ahram Online highlights a selection of do-not-miss events this week (11-18 September) in Cairo.

Sufi chanting troupes gear up for Moulid El-Nabi

Sufi chanting troupes started bringing Islamic traditional zikr (remembrance of God) to the stages of Egypt In celebration of Moulid El-Nabi (Prophet Muhammad's birth).

Check the programme here

New films across cinemas

Wednesday 11 September brings several new films to movie theatres across Egypt:

- Late Night with the Devil, starring David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, and Ian Bliss.
- The Jungle Bunch: World Tour, animation film, starring Wyatt Bowen, Gauthier Battoue, and Dawn Ford.
- Speak No Evil, starring James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, and Aisling Franciosi.
- Ashek, romantic film, starring Asmaa Abou Yazeed and Ahmed Hatem.
- Unit 234, starring Don Johnson, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Jack Huston.

MedFest Festival
12-15 September
American University in Cairo, Tahrir campus

The festival's 6th edition is themed "Relationships."

MedFest Egypt is a medically themed short film festival founded in 2017.

According to the organizers, this festival is the first in the MENA region to be concerned with the compelling relationship between cinema and health.

The five-day festival features films, masterclasses, workshops, and panel discussions, hosting numerous artists and health professionals.

Check the full programme here.

Idreesi - music
Thursday 12 September, 9pm
Rawabet Art Space, 5 Hussein Basha Al Meamari, Downtown, Cairo

The Jordanian musician will be performing his latest EP Msh Bil Kalam, released last February. This follows his debut album Mahboobi released in 2022.

He will be accompanied by music producer and collaborator Ahmed Diaa.

Idreesi is known for fusing Arabic melodies and poetry with contemporary beats.

Idreesi’s last performance in Egypt was in March 2023.

Hanan Mady - music
Thursday 12 September, 8pm
Wisdom Hall, El-Sawy Culturewheel, 26th of July Street, Zamalek, Cairo

Hanan Mady began singing at a young age and studied violin at the Cairo Conservatoire, graduating in 1989.

As a singer, Mady made a debut singing the theme song, composed by Omar Khairat, to the 1988 TV series El-Leqaa El-Thany (The Second Meeting).

She went on to sing in several TV series, including Yasser Abdel-Rahman's theme for the TV series El-Mal Wal-Banon (The Fortune and the Progeny, 1992-1995), and worked with other renowned composers and lyricists, including Abdel-Azim Abdel-Haq, Helmi Bakr, Ahmad Fouad Negm, Ibrahim Abdel-Fattah, and Reda Amin.

Throughout her career, Mady released four albums carrying several tracks that became very popular among her fans, such as Leilet Eshq, El-Bahr, Sheddy El-Dafayer, Asfour, and Kan W-Kan.

Folklorita - music
Thursday 12 September, 8pm
Amir Taz Palace, Seyoufia Street off Saliba Street, Khalifa District roughly between the Sultan Hassan and the Ibn Tulun Mosque, Old Cairo

Folklorita presents covers of the songs from the Egyptian heritage.

The group, consisting of 17 performers, relies mainly on voices and percussive instruments (tabla, doholla, and daff) in addition to other musicians.

Folklorita’s first concert was in March 2024, performing ever since across many venues in Egypt.

Ghaliaa & Noël Kharman - music
Friday 13 September, 7.30pm
River Hall, El-Sawy Culturewheel, 26th of July Street, Zamalek, Cairo

Syrian singer Ghaliaa Chaker and Palestinian singer and songwriter Noël Kharman will be performing for the first time at this venue.

Multi-instrumentalist Ghaliaa sings mostly in Arabic. In addition to English, she also sings in Turkish, Armenian, and Persian.

Known for her blend of Eastern and Western sounds, Kharman started her career with cover songs on YouTube and then started creating her own original music.

Ghaliaa and Kharman released a single Law Sheftak in 2022 together, garnering over 500 thousand views on YouTube.

Baligh Hamdi tribute - music
Friday 13 September, 8.30pm
Cairo Opera House, Open-Air Theatre, Zamalek, Cairo

The concert is part of the 100 Years of Singing, a project that sees cooperation between Ali El-Haggar and the Cairo Opera House. Each concert is dedicated to a known composer and songwriter.

This evening will tribute Baligh Hamdi (1932-1993), a renowned Egyptian composer who created and composed many hit songs for several Arab singers, especially during the 1960s and 1970s.

Among the performers is Ali El-Haggar who was introduced to the listeners by Hamdi back in 1977. They collaborated in the following years, during which Hamdi also produced several songs for El-Haggar.

The concert will also feature Wael El-Fashni and Mohamed Mohie, among others.

The singers will be accompanied by an orchestra under the baton of Ahmed Farag, the qanoun soloist Amina Sabry, alongside the Cairo Opera singers, such as Enas Ezzeldin, Hanan Essam, and Ahmed Abdel-Aziz.

Gamal Salama tribute - music
Sunday 15 September, 8.30pm
Cairo Opera House, main hall, Zamalek, Cairo

The concert will present works by late composer, songwriter, and melodist Gamal Salama (1945-2021).

With an orchestra led by conductor Mohamed El-Mougy, the evening will feature singers from the Cairo Opera House.

Salama was primarily known for his songs that he composed for films and television series in the 1960-1980s.

His music was featured in films, such as Afwah Wa Araneb (Mouths and Rabbits), Habibi Daeman (My Love Forever), Al-Nemr El-Aswad (The Black Tiger), and Laila Baka Fiha El-Qamar (The Night the Moon Cried), while his TV classics include Zeab El-Gabal (Mountain Wolves), Mohamed Rasoul Allah (Mohammed God’s Messenger), and Alf-Leila W Leilah (One Thousand Nights).

He also composed a large number of memorized romantic, Islamic, and patriotic songs for numerous known Arab singers, including Sabah, Majida El-Roumi, and Samira Said.