Forty-five musicians and singers from the National Arab Music Ensemble (AME) of Cairo Opera House are in Saudi Arabia to perform two concerts in the capital, under the supervision of the Head of the Administration for Central Eastern Music, Gihan Morsy.
The first concert will be held today in the King Fahd Culture Center and the second is scheduled for tomorrow April 26 in the same venue. The Saudi Gazette reports that the opera will play notes for famous Egyptian singers including Abdul Wahab, Umm Kalthoum, Abdul Halim Hafiz, Chadia, Najat Al-Sagheera, and others. Huge screens have been installed in the venue to enhance the viewing experience of the thousands of attendees expected at each show.
According to Egypt Independent, the AME ensemble was received by members of the Egyptian embassy in Riyadh on Monday, as well as the representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Media in Saudi Arabia. As reported by Egypt Today, the Egyptian Culture Minister Ines Abdel Dayem described the cultural interconnection between Egypt and Saudi Arabia as a "safety valve for Arab identity," pointing to the ability of soft power in combating obscurantism.
The presence of such a prestigious envoy follows a string of performances in the Kingdom as part of efforts under Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman to modernize Saudi Arabia. Since his ascension to the role, the Crown Prince has been working diligently to ensure that Saudi Arabia stays on course in its journey towards realizing Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s national strategy to diversify its oil-dependent economy.
Since last year, Saudi Arabia has witnessed the establishment of its first-ever opera house, the reopening of public cinemas, an increased support for contemporary arts and film across the Kingdom, the rescinding of the ban on female motorists, and concerts headlining regional and international icons.
