During two evenings, the Cairo Opera Orchestra — conducted by its principal conductor and artistic director Nayer Nagui — performs alongside international soloists from the North West Opera in a production of Puccini's La Boheme.

The performance, which takes place in Jacksons Hotel in Ballybofey, Donegal County, is joined by the singers from the Sessiaghoneill National School. Ann Jennings, soprano and artistic director of the North West Opera, sings the main role Mimi.

Jennings is known to the Egyptian audiences through her frequent visits to Egypt. She is also one of the main initiators of this artistic exchange that was made possible through the support of Egypt's Ministry of Culture, the Cairo Opera House and Sherif Elkholi, ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

In La Boheme, American soprano Diana Bryan McLaughlin sings Musetta, Brazilian baritone Fernando Araujo sings Marcello, while German tenor Markus Hurzog performs role of Rudolfo.

The opera closes the city's Earagail Arts Festival, an annual bilingual multidisciplinary arts festival (12-26 July) that brings music, film, theatre, circus, literature along cultural activites for whole families to County Donegal. In 2013, the festival celebrated its silver anniversary.

Egyptian conductor and composer Nayer Nagui is known for his many performances in Egypt and internationally. Apart of his responsibilities with the Cairo Opera Orchestra since 2011, Nagui is also founder and artistic director of the Cairo Celebration Choir, which for over a decade sing works of the Western classical music repertoire, Gregorian songs, and famous Egyptian choral works.

The Cairo Opera Orchestra was founded in 1994, becoming the second national orchestra under the Cairo Opera House umbrella. The Cairo Opera Orchestra assumes responsibility for music for operas and ballets, leaving the symphonic repertoire to the Cairo Symphony Orchestra.