Remember these names: Emad Lufti Zari, Reaab Ahmed Bukhari, Abdulaziz Abdullah bin Shannan and Saud Abdulaziz Al-Khulaif. These Saudi artists have recently performed in Rome in Musei in Musica, representing the esteemed Saudi National Music Band.
Translating to ‘Museums in Music,’ this establishment partners up with a variety of Rome’s cultural venues and various museums, to plan musical events in them open to the public. To be as diverse as possible, they always include various types of entertainment, including poetry, classical music, international songs, and more, all hoping to create a musical interchange like no other.
The Saudi National Music Band performed their first concert as a segment of the 12th edition of Musei in Musica. The venue was quite stunning, as they performed at one of the grandest halls of the Musei Capitolini, called Sala della Protomoteca.
Imagine sitting in one of Europe’s oldest cities in the world surrounded by masterpieces and works of art hailing from ancient Rome, while listening to the melodic tunes of The Saudi National Band. Must have been quite the experience!
The Saudi National Music Band was established in 2019 to show the world the grand musical heritage of the Kingdom. The Ministry of Culture helms this initiative, which comes in line with the transformational Vision 2030.
The one of a kind Saudi music group, led by Dr. Abdel Rab Idris, features some of the best artists in the Kingdom. The musical collective includes oud players, a string section with violins and cellos, solo artists, a nay flute player, a pianist, and a keyboard player, and a maestro on the qanun.
The chorus section is comprised of more than five singers, but the whole group can have up to 35 musicians. They have previously played all over the Kingdom in various events such as Souk Okaz. The musical exchange has also gone overseas where they played in Paris last year at the Théâtre du Châtelet with the French Philharmonique Orchestra.
