Lebanese singer Carole Samaha gives a concert at the Arab Music Festival

Reham El-Adawi , Tuesday 18 Oct 2022

Carole Samaha

The 31th Arab Music Festival and Conference

Arab Music Institute

22 Ramsis St, Tel 02 2574 3373

Thurs 20, 8pm: The opening ceremony presents The Arab Music Heritage ensemble, conducted by maestro Farouk El-Bably, featurting singers: Ahmed Mohsen, Angham Mustafa, Mohamed Shawqi, Ahmed El-Wazery, and Syrian singer Waad Al-Bahary.

Fri 21, 8pm: Bahrain Music troupe, led by Ziyad Zayman.

Sat 22, 8pm: The Moroccan Arab Music ensemble, conducted by Salah Sharqawi.

Sun 23, 8pm: Music Friends Society of Tunisia, conducted by Aida El-Nyaty.

Thurs 27, 8pm: Saudi Arabia Troupe and Choir for Music, conducted by Mohanad Tallal.

Cairo Opera House

Gezira Exhibition Grounds, Tel 02 2737 0602/2736 0361, box office 02 2739 0132/0144

Fountain Theatre

Thurs 20, 8pm: The opening ceremony celebrates the anniversary of late musician Ali Ismail in a concert features singers: Walid Heidar, Ahmed Effat, Amira Ahmed, Ghada Adam, Mohamed Hassan, Hannan Essam, Noha Hafez, accompanied by a dance show performed by the Cairo Opera Ballet Company, choreographed by Erminia Kamel.

Fri 21, 8pm: Singer Sara Sahab and Fouad Zabady from Morocco. Singer Maye Farouk in a concert, conducted by maestro Selim Sahab.

Sat 22, 8pm: Superstars Nadia Mustafa, Hany Shaker will give concerts, conducted by maestro Mustafa Helmy.

Sun 23, 8pm: Singer Saad Ramadan from Lebanon, singer Marwa Nagui. Superstar Ragheb Alama from Lebanon will give a concert, conducted by maestro George Kolta.

Mon 24, 8pm: Singer Inas Ezzeddin, Superstars Mohamed El-Helw and Ali El-Haggar in concerts, conducted by maestro Ahmed Atef.

Wed 26, 8pm: Solo violin recital by Hassan Sharara. A concert features singer Mohamed Mohsen. Superstar Carole Samaha from Lebanon, accompanied by the Cairo Opera Orchestra, conducted by maestro Nayeir Nagui.

Thurs 27, 8pm: Buzoq player Ramy Ibrahim from Syria. Superstar Diana Haddad from Lebanon in a concert conducted by maestro Wessam Khassaf. Piano recital by Amr Selim. Superstar Medhat Saleh, accompanied by the Abdel-Halim Noweira Arab Music Ensembe, conducted by maestro Ahmed Amer.

ALEXANDRIA

Alexandria Opera House (Sayed Darwish Theatre)

Fouad St, Mahatat Al-Raml, Alexandria, Tel 03/486 5106

Thurs 20, 8pm: The Abdel-Halim Noweira Arab Music ensemble, conducted by maestro Ahmed Amer, features singers: Kenzy, Mustafa El-Nagdy, Rehab Omar. Superstar Medhat Saleh, accompanied by pianist Amr Selim will feature a concert, conducted by maestro Ahmed Ammer.

Fri 21, 8pm: Alexandria Opera Company for Arab Music and Singing features singers Marwa Hamdy, Yasser Said, Mohamed El-Kholy, and Nada Ghaleb. Tunisian singer Mohamed El-Gebaly. Singer Khaled Selim.

Sat 22, 8pm: The Arab Music Heritage ensemble features singer Mazen Deraz, and Noha Hafez. Syrian singer Waad Al-Bahary.

Sun 23, 8pm: Singer Maye Kamal. Moroccan singer Fouad Zabady. Singer Maye Farouk in a concert, conducted by maestro Selim Sahab.

Thurs 27, 8pm: Singers Radwa Said, Moamen Khalil, and Walid Heidar.

The 10th Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF)

(9-30 October)

Rawabet Art Space

3 Hussien El Meaamar St. ext. of Mahmoud Basiouny St, from Talaat Harb Square, Downtown

Thurs 27 and Fri 28, 8.30 - 9.10pm: Growing up in a war zone means continuing to hear the sound of bombs long after danger has been averted. It means living and breathing politics; carrying the memory of war in one’s body. In her solo dance performance Losing It, Palestinian choreographer Samaa Wakim uses sound and movement to explore how the trauma of previous generations manifests itself in her own body. The piece invites audiences to embark on a journey towards the moment that Wakim began to fear for her freedom, diving into her memories of growing up under occupation, the various realities she lives in, and the fantasies she has created out of fear and hope in order to survive. Throughout the performance, Wakim’s choreography and powerful vocals come into conversation with Samar Haddad King’s live music score.

Thurs 27 and Fri 28, 7-7.50pm: Anchoring is a contemporary dance piece attempts to reclaim the body as a subject of political and social power by focusing on the centre point of the woman’s body, the womb and some of its characteristics. Women’s bodies have long been the battlefield where cultural, religious, and political wars are waged. This power struggle lies at the core of the thought-provoking dance show Anchoring, choreographed and performed by Salma Salem, with live music by Ahmed Saleh and light design by Saber El-Sayed. Anchoring follows the ritualistic journey of a female body fighting its way through societal restrictions to find its inner power and stand up; to surmount the challenges paving its path towards liberation.

Thurs 27 and Fri 28, 10-10:40pm: No Mercy dance performance created by Nasa4Nasa will lure you in, disarm you, and in the process unravel in their own drama. It navigates our daily virtual and non-virtual modes of feeling, cliches, and vanity. During this fifty-minute DJ set, Egyptian contemporary dance duo Nasa4Nasa pushes the limits of sensuality, desire, and its interplay with violence. The two female bodies navigate the gaze, referencing their repertoires of body image, pop, and rage.

Startup Haus Cairo

37 Talaat Harb, Bab Al Louq, Qasr El Nil, Cairo, Tel 0101 4210495

Sat 22 and Sun 23, 2-5pm: Long Play (France-Egypt) contemporary dance is a music, dance, and interactive performance celebrating the power of dance as ritual, the strong link uniting dancers and allowing the dissolution of the ego, and the strength of being oneself together. Created and choreographed by Adam Shalaan and Alexandre Roccoli and performed by Nermine Habib, Shady Abdel-Rahman, Ghareeb L’étranger, the performance uses the rhythms of its setting to guide the performers’ bodies along their transformative journey. Suspended, circular and hypnotic, this piece is conceived as a three-hour loop, both contemplative and meditative.

Tahrir Cultural Centre (TCC)

AUC’s Tahrir Campus, Downtown, 24 Falaki St, Downtown Cairo, Tel 012 88721446

Fri 21, 9-10pm : This year, D-CAF presents two films and a live-streamed contemporary dance performance under the title Beyond Dance. Beyond Dance seeks to push the boundaries of dance, video art, and their most creative intersections, unveiling the question: beyond entertainment and pleasure, what does dance offer to its practitioners and audiences? How does dance intersect with new and innovative artforms of the digital age? How can it provide an avenue for the empowerment of marginalized communities? Created by the Swiss Compagnie Gilles Jobin, this performance features three dancers: Susana Panades Diaz, Jozsef Trefeli and Rudi Van Der Merwe.

Beit Al-Seheimi
Al-Muaaz St, Al-Darb Al-Asfar Alley, Al-Gamalya District, Tel 02 2787 8865
Every Sunday, 7pm: The Nile Troupe for Folk Instruments, conducted by Abdel-Rahman Al-Shafaai, performs dances and songs from Upper Egypt on mizmar, tabla and other traditional musical instruments.
Every Friday, 7pm: “Al-Aragouz wa Khayal Al-Zel” (The Shadow Puppet), a free public performance by clowns in Al-Muaaz Street, presented by Wamda and directed by Nabil Bahgat.

Cairo Opera House

Gezira Exhibition Grounds, Tel 02 2737 0602/2736 0361, box office 02 2739 0132/0144

Main Hall

Sun 30 and Mon 31, 11am: The Cairo Symphony Orchestra presents children concerts.

Al-Ghouri Caravansary
Mohamed Abdou St, off Al-Muaaz St and Al-Azhar St, Tel 02 2514 7475
Al-Tanoura whirling dervishes perform to live Sufi music
(Performances every Sat and Wed, 7.30pm).

Al-Gumhouriya Theatre

12 Al-Gumhouriya St, Abdin, Tel 02 2390 7707

Tues 25, 8pm: Alaashra Altayaba musical performed by the Academy of Arts.

Thurs 27 and Fri 28, 8pm: Alnadaha dance show performed by Forsan Al-Sharq for Heritage company.

Italian Cultural Institute

3 El-Sheikh El Marsafy St, Zamalek, Tel 02 2735 5423/2735 8791

Thurs 20, 7pm: Part of the 22nd edition of the Week of the Italian Language in the World (17-23 October), the Institute hosts the concert “From Beethoven to Respighi. From Metastasio to Negri”, a journey through not only poems, stories, and anecdotes, but also the compositions of young talents, who later became the great musicians and writers we all know, interpreted by the strings of the Gershwin Quartet, by maestro Margiotta on the piano and by soprano Serena Grieco.

Makan

1 Saad Zaghloul St, Al-Mounira, Cairo, Tel 2792 0878

a repertoire of traditional music of the Nile Delta, Al Jaafra music played by Arab Tribes from Aswan and Nass Makan band.

Every Wednesday, 9-10pm: Zar music and songs by Mazaher ensemble featuring Umm Sameh, Umm Hassan and Nour Al-Sabah.

Room Art Space & Café
10 Etihad Al Mohamin, Garden City, Tel 01000 068 159

Fri 21, 8pm: A stand-up comedy show by Al Hezb El Comedy.
Tues 25, 8pm: A Karaoke Night.

Thurs 27, 9pm: Singer Shahira Kamal’s music contains a diverse combination of Arabic original songs with an indie pop feel each, with a different taste and mood yet unifying a unique collective sound that presents a strong identity, her lyrics swing from romance to philosophy to social sarcasm. Sharing the stage this gig the talents Lowai Gamal (percussions), Ahmed Kamar (keyboards), and Peter Abdou (bass).

The Spot mall, Infront of AUC Gate 4, New Cairo

Thurs 20, 8pm: A Karaoke Night.

Sat 22, 8.30pm: A stand-up comedy show by Laugh About (Relationships).

Mon 24, 9pm: Pilot Trio is a blues and rock band covering (Police, John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Bonamassa and many more. It features Adham Roshdy on Bass, Maged Faltas on Drums, Alain Oueijan on Guitar and Vocal.

Tues 25, 9pm: A night of your favorite Frank Sinatra songs and jazz tunes featuring the amazing Karren Daniel. Line up: Karen Daniel- Vocal, Mohanad Arrab - Bass guitar and vocal, Hossam Fouda – Saxophone, Mustafa Mansour – Piano, and Seif Nasser – Drums.

Wed 26 and Thurs 27, 8pm: A Karaoke Night.

El-Sawy Culturewheel
End of 26th of July St, under the 15th of May Bridge, Zamalek, Tel 02 2736 8881/6178/2737 4448

(No entry without a mask and the hall will be open at only 25 percent audience capacity)

River Hall

Thurs 20, 8pm: A singing recital by Ahmed Salem.

Fri 21, 7pm: Alaa Wardi and Hayajan band for the first time in Egypt.

Sat 22, 7.30pm: Singer Abanob and his band.

Sun 23, 7.30pm: A stand-up comedy show by Comedy Stuff.

Mon 24, 7pm: Classical Arab music concert by Waslet Samaa band.

Wisdom Hall

Sat 22, 7.30pm: Singing recital by Mai Abdel-Aziz.

ALEXANDRIA