Bibliotheca Alexandrina Choir (left) and Cairo Celebration Choir (right)
Conducted by Nayer Nagui, two Egyptian choirs — the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) Choir and the Cairo Celebration Choir (CCC) — will join forces Saturday, 20 September, to perform works by Egyptian composers in an evening dubbed "Aghani Bel Arabi" (Songs in Arabic).
The concert at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's Great Hall will include compositions by Sayed Darwish, Gamal Abdel Rehim and Awatef Abdel Kerim, arranged for voice by Nagui.
"Aghani Bel Arabi" is among the standard programming sets regularly performed by the Cairo Celebration Choir. The first concert under this theme took place in 2008 and met with a glowing reception among audiences in Cairo. Since then, the choir's repertoire of Arabic songs has expanded, while many concerts were held in a variety of venues in Egypt.
This year, CCC took songs from the "Aghani Bel Arabi" collection abroad. In January 2014, CCC performed compositions in Morocco, enchanting audiences at the National Mohammed V Theatre in Rabat. In April, "Aghani Bel Arabi" made a French debut at the UNESCO Main Theatre Hall in Paris.
The Cairo Celebration Choir has become a vibrant element of Egypt's cultural life. Over 100 choir members regularly perform famed choral works of the Western classical music repertoire, in addition to Gregorian songs and Egyptian choral works by renowned Egyptian composers, arranged by Nagui.
The choir regularly participates in the annual Christmas Concert organised at the Cairo Opera House, where they are joined by the Cairo Opera Orchestra and soloists from the Cairo Opera Company. In 2012, the choir participated in the Czech Republic's Prague Voices 2012 Festival, winning the Silver Level Diploma.
Founded in 2003 under the umbrella of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the BA Choir is the only choir in Alexandria performing works from the Western classical music repertoire. It also gives concerts of traditional folk music and Christmas carols. The choir consists of over 30 members under the leadership of choir master Rodica Ocheseanu. The choir has performed extensively in Alexandria and Cairo and some of its members joined productions of operas staged at the Bibliotheca.
Programme:
Saturday, 20 September, 8pm
Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Great Hall, Chatby, Alexandria
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