The second half of 2022 brings an increased presence of artistic activities to many Egyptian cities. The current months are … More
Category: Big Stuff
Beyond Chopin
Shahd Magdy, Andrew Milad, Mahmoud El-Batran and Mostafa Hassan are the names of the young Egyptian pianists who won the … More
Shaking it up again: Yakout on presiding over Cairo Int’l Festival for Experimental Theatre
Gamal Yakout, the newly appointed president of the festival’s 28th edition scheduled for December 2021, talks about his vision and … More
‘I Passed By…’: History of Egyptian theatre through Manal Ebrahim’s personal creative journey
The long-standing assistant director and director Manal Ebrahim’s unique exhibition which took place last March bears witness to the Egyptian … More
Revisiting silence and emotional distortions in multi-award-winning Sound of Metal
A showcase of the performers’ abilities and directed by Darius Marder, film Sound of Metal looks into the tragedy of … More
Egyptian cultural manager Ahmed El-Attar discusses his art ecosystem
‘Keep dreaming with your feet on the ground,’ art manager Ahmed El-Attar said on his creative ecosystem In early March, … More
All strings attached: A heartwarming debut of Egypt’s Isis String Orchestra for amateur musicians
The orchestra gave two consecutive concerts on Thursday 26 November, at the All Saints’ Cathedral in Zamalek Amateur music ensembles … More
Remembering Demis Roussos: Alexandria-born Greek singer who engraved himself in the hearts of Egyptian listeners
Renowned internationally and particularly beloved by Egyptian listeners, the master of musical nostalgia Demis Roussos was born on 15 June … More
Obituary: David Hales, Egypt-based British pianist, vocal coach and Cairo’s hidden pillar
British pianist, vocal coach and repetiteur David Llewellyn Hales died on 31 May 2020 in Cairo News of David Hales … More
While international orchestras gradually resume activities, the Cairo Symphony’s future remains vague
The musicians of Egypt’s oldest national orchestra are finding it hard to keep their spirits high and make ends meet … More
Zorba online: Unique history of one of the Cairo Opera Ballet Company’s most triumphant works
The staging of Zorba will be made available by the Ministry of Culture on its YouTube channel, starting 7 June … More
Review: Royal Ballet’s Anastasia, delightful reflections at home
Kenneth MacMillan’s Anastasia was made available for two weeks starting 15 May on the Royal Opera’s YouTube channel They say … More
‘The dancers are eager to get back to the stage’: Erminia Kamel, Cairo Opera Ballet’s artistic director
After two months of suspension of all cultural activities, Erminia Kamel talks about the Egyptian ballet company’s situation, saddened by … More
Apropos of music: Meditation on a personal love for Chopin
The Poet of the Piano, Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, is part of the international musical consciousness; he is timeless with … More
Swan Lake: Dreamy poetry, seductive magic on Cairo and Alexandria stages
Tchaikovsky’s famed ballet is performed in Cairo between 10 and 13 January followed by Alexandria performances on 17 and 18 … More
India’s dancer Aditi Mangaldas weaves the silver threads of Kathak into Egyptian audience
Aditi Mangaldas performed ‘Uncharted Seas’ in Cairo and Alexandria, as part of the India by the Nile festival In her … More
Switzerland’s HORA Theatre invites Cairo audience to look differently at disabilities
Part of the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival’s programming, the Disabled Theatre was staged on 21 and 22 March at AUC’s … More
Closer to the people: British practices in education, inclusion, outreach through music
Following the belief that music is a journey that breaks down many barriers, UK’s cultural managers use music as a … More
Remembering Ali Osman: Composer, academic and conductor of Egypt’s Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra
Egypt’s music scene lost Ali Osman, Sudanese composer, conductor, educator and a man whose work with Al Nour Wal Amal, … More
Obituary: Nehad Selaiha, theatre activist, scholar, godmother
On 6 January, the Egyptian culture scene lost Nehad Selaiha: a bilingual scholar, translator, historian, writer and critic with a … More
When the going gets tough: On challenges that 2016 brought upon Egypt’s cultural scene
In 2016, Egypt saw many economic and legal changes that impacted arts and culture scene. The cultural players will now … More
Uncovering the face of faceless art: On Egypt’s graffiti artist Keizer, the ant and the city
With the ant being his mascot, or logo, Keizer’s large body of work includes thematic content that ranges from political … More
Celebrating summer with festivals: Egypt and Arab region join the seasonal gleam
From Tunisia and Algeria to Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine… Summer calls for festivals to infuse the regional stages with events … More
Birds of Upper Egypt: Children choir sings in Cairo
On 20 June, Children Choir operating under the Association of Upper Egypt for Education and Development performed at Talaat Harb … More
‘Art is not an intruder on society’: Rana Yazaji, Syrian cultural activist and Al Mawred’s director
Syrian cultural activist and managing director of Al Mawred Al Thaqafy talks about her passions and how, following the months-long … More
Confronting fear: how year 2015 brought Egypt’s audiences closer to classical music
Belief ‘you are not expected to like everything,’ seemed to be at the heart of approach to the audiences in … More
Against all odds: Stories of the visually impaired women from Egypt’s Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra
Girls and women from Egypt’s unique Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra talk about their lives, joys and challenges embedded in … More
Living the spectacle: Why Egyptians worship Bollywood
This year, the India by the Nile festival brought several components addressing Egypt’s Bollywood lovers, uncovering – or reasserting – … More
All the world’s a stage: Hamlet’s game of contrasts captures Egyptian audience
Reaching out to audiences across the world, the Globe Theatre’s Hamlet manages to capture people of all cultural backgrounds and … More
Bluebirds’ serenade: On singing out of tune
The easiest natural thing to some, a completely impossible feat to others, the ability to sing in tune requires musical … More
Generation of the greats: Egypt’s artists and intellectuals we lost in 2014
2014 left many voids in Egypt’s cultural landscape, as numerous artists and writers passed away, joining dozens of others we’ve … More
INTERVIEW — Marcel Khalife: A musician with a rebel’s soul
Prior to his first concerts in Egypt since 2008, renowned Lebanese musician Marcel Khalife talks with Ahram Online about his … More
Abiding with the light: Sonam Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project in Cairo
On Wednesday 24 September Sonam Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project fused music with spirituality in a unique performance at … More
Creative progression: on development of arts festivals in Egypt, 2011-2014
Exceptional profusion of artistic festivals in the first months of 2014, points to a new reality we cannot overlook and … More
Sudhir Tailang: Political cartooning in India
Prior to his visit to Egypt in April 2014, in his home in Delhi, Sudhir Tailang, renowned Indian cartoonist talks … More
Hanaa Abdel Fattah: Always remembered…
Well-known director, actor, theatre critic and professor Hanaa Abdel Fattah passed away one year ago, on 19 October 2012; he … More
Cairo Opera House: 25 years of Egypt’s cultural history
As the Cairo Opera House celebrates its Silver Jubilee on 10 October, Ahram Online traces the quarter-of-a-century history of this … More
Obituary: The memorable life of Ratiba El-Hefny
Ratiba El-Hefny, a woman who played many roles within the country’s cultural scene, remained active until the last months of … More
Requiem for a danseur noble: Abdel-Moneim Kamel
Abdel-Moneim Kamel, a ‘spiritual father of ballet’ in Egypt, passed away in February leaving behind generations of dancers filled with … More
A rendezvous with Chopin: Andrei Gavrilov performs in Cairo
On 10 February the historical Manasterly Palace in Cairo hosted Andrei Gavrilov, the world-renowned Russian pianist, who performed Chopin and … More
When the music’s over: Ammar Al-Sherei
On Friday 7 December, Ammar Al-Sherei, a man of great musical knowledge and skill, passed away at the age of … More
Silence of the Lambs
The Pussy Riot controversy follows the classical mould of the struggle for freedom of expression, and unveils a typical authoritarian … More
Marvels of Lebanon’s Chouf: Caracalla Dance Theatre at Beiteddine Art Festival
The 27th Beiteddine Art Festival kicked off on 28 June with Kan Ya Ma Kan (Once Upon a Time), a … More
Meeting Bahaa Taher: In conversation with the renowned contemporary Egyptian author
Bahaa Taher, one of the most renowned contemporary writers in the Arab World and winner of the most prestigious literary … More
Waiting for Godunov: On the role of artists in times of political change
Hearing about a stir provoked by Boris Godunov on the stage of Mariinsky Theatre, it is hard not to draw … More
Warda: The Algerian Rose’s legacy will live on
News of the death of one of the Arab world’s most moving singers, Warda, aka Warda al Jazairia (The Algerian … More
Egypt’s new music scene: A revolutionary audit
Published in Al Ahram Weekly and Ahram Online “What do you think an artist is? An imbecile who only has … More
Talaat Zein (1955-2011) A song to remember
The Egyptian singer and actor passed away in Cairo on Sunday 14 August 2011, after a battle with lung cancer. … More
Tarek Ali Hassan: That rare whiff of true renaissance
A medical doctor, musician, philosopher, writer, poet and painter, Tarek Ali Hassan describes himself simply as ‘somebody who loves human … More
Remembering Ziad Bakir
Works by Beethoven and Rageh Daoud pay fitting tribute to the martyrs of the Egyptian revolution Published on 24 March … More
In memory of Ziad Bakir, a beautiful soul and an inspiring artist
The death of Ziad Bakir, one of the martyrs of the January Revolution, has devastated his family, friends and many … More
Ati Metwaly 