Egypt’s Minister of Culture Inas Abdel Dayem and President of the Egyptian Opera House Magdy Saber inaugurated, on Sunday, the 29th edition of the Salah El-Din Citadel International Festival for Music and Singing, which is held in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The festival includes 31 diverse concerts held under the supervision of the Artistic House of Music. The festival will be running for 16 days, starting from 15 August.
During her speech at the opening ceremony, Abdel Dayem said Abdel-Dayem said that Egypt has emphasized throughout history that it is the cradle of civilization.
She added on the Egyptian territory the colors of arts, culture and science grew, and on the banks of its immortal river, history was born.
She asserted that Salah El-Din Castle used to offer security for Egypt, but now the Citadel Festival comes to protect public taste and illuminate the art scene in Egypt and the Arab world.
She explained that holding this festival confirms the state’s insistence on overcoming challenges, asserting the role of the festival as one of Egypt’s soft forces to combat extreme ideologies.
The Culture Minister had also honoured 12 personalities who contributed to enriching the art scene in Egypt and the Arab world, and others who participated in achieving the success of the festival.
The 12 personalities include pianist Amr Selim, singer Amjad Al-Atafi, singer Reem Kamal, opera singer Dalia Farouk and singer Khaled Shahdi.
Then the festival had also presented the first Egyptian to reach the famous competition programme America Got Talent, the young flute recorder beatbox, Medhat Mamdouh.
The opening ceremony concluded with the violin and piano duet Fouad and Munib accompanied by the Cairo Ceremonial Orchestra led by Maestro George Qelta, where they presented a group of their original music.
The singers who will participate in the festival includes Ali El-Haggar, Hani Shaker, Hisham Abbas, Medhat Saleh, accompanied by the famous pianist Amr Selim and his band, Mohamed El-Helou, as well as singer Mai Farouk, Ahmed Effat, Sheikh Yassin Al-Tohamy, Muhammad Hassan, Tariq Al-Arabi (Tarkan and his sons), Carmen Suleiman, Muhammad Mohsen, Jannat, Nesma Mahgoub, Dina Al-Wadidi, Lina Shammian, Soleste Cairo Opera, and Ballet Ensemble. Two concerts will be held each evening.
The Festival’s programme:
Sunday 15 August
8pm: Cairo Symphony Orchestra
10pm: Foud and Mounib
Monday 16 August
8pm: Talents Development Centre’s Children Choir
10pm: Wust El-Balad band
Tuesday 17 August
8pm: Cairo Cafe band led by Ali Sharaf
10pm: Ahmed Gamal
Wednesday 18 August
8pm: Yasser Soliman Ensemble for Music and Singing
10pm: Sheikh Yassin El-Tohamy
Thursday 19 August
8pm: Cairo Opera Orchestra and Cairo String Orchestra
10pm: Ali El-Haggar
Friday 20 August
8pm: Nadia Mostafa
10pm: Mohamed El-Helw
Saturday 21 August
8pm: Wael El-Fashni
10pm: Lena Chamamyan
Sunday 22 August
8pm: Hala Roshdi
10pm: Tarek Arabi Tourgane
Monday 23 August
8pm: Hazem Shaheen
10pm: Carmen Soliman
Tuesday 24 August
8pm: Nada Sharara
10pm: Hani Shaker
Wednesday 25 August
8pm: Nouran Abutaleb
10pm: Hisham Abbas
Thursday 26 August
8pm: Speed of Hearts band
10pm: Mohamed Mohsen
Friday 27 August
8pm: Mohsen Hassan
10pm: Jannat
Saturday 28 August
8pm: Tabla player Said El-Artist
10pm: Nesma Mahgoub
Sunday 29 August
8pm: Boghdady Big Band – jazz concert
10pm: Dina El-Wedidi
Monday 30 August
8pm: Marimba player Nesma Abdel Aziz
10pm: Medhat Saleh
