Friday May 15, 2016

Bab Al Makina – 21:00

Tribute to Oum Kelthoum – Egypt and the Arab World

Kawkab El Sharq Ensemble of the Cairo Opera Orchestra

The Kawkab El Sharq Ensemble was established forty years after the death of legendary Egyptian singer Oum Keltoum by the chairman of the Cairo Opera House, Dr Inès Abdel Daïm who is a fervent promoter of the arts. Known as the Star of the East, Oum Keltoum had an enormous influence on the music scene of the east, having an amazing voice which was not only beloved by the Arab world but also captured the attention of the rest of the world.

The Kawkab El Sharq Ensemble is composed of some of the most talented musicians at the Cairo Opera House. It performs on the first Thursday of each month, just as Oum Keltoum did herself. Of note is the fact that the Opera House promotes its most distinguished young conductors and singers who continue in Oum Keltoum’s footsteps, even using the same orchestral structure as in the past. Founded in 2014, the Kawkab El Sharq Ensemble delights audiences at the Cairo Opera House and the young singers presenting the great diva’s repertoire will surely enchant music-lovers at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music.