The 34th Arab Music Festival and Conference opened at the Cairo Opera House, dedicating its events to the late singer Hany Shaker. Acting Culture Minister Abdel-Aziz Konsowa announced plans for a memorial statue in the opera’s courtyard during an emotional opening ceremony.
The Grand Theater of the Cairo Opera House hosted the opening of the 34th Arab Music Festival and Conference, an 11-day event running through October 30. Abdel-Aziz Konsowa, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Acting Minister of Culture, officially inaugurated the festival alongside Opera House President Reda El-Wakil and Festival Director Mohamed El-Mougy.
Tributes and the Memorial Statue Announcement for Hany Shaker
This year’s festival honors the memory of the late Arab singing star Hany Shaker, who passed away in France in May at the age of 73 following a lengthy medical treatment. During the opening ceremony, Acting Minister Konsowa announced that a memorial statue of the singer will be erected inside the courtyard of the Cairo Opera House to commemorate his artistic legacy.
The opening evening featured two documentary films produced by the Opera’s editing studio and directed by Samer Madody, charting the careers of Egyptian musical pioneers and Shaker. Neveen Ragab performed the song Feh Nas Tegeeb for the first time as a tribute, written by Abdullah Hassan and composed by Sherif Hamdan. The opera’s orchestra, led by Maestro Ahmed Atef, accompanied a roster of ten artists—Ashraf Walid, Mohamed Tarek, Ahmed Essam, Ahmed Saeed, Yasser Saeed, Mohamed El-Kholy, Ahmed Effat, Ahmed Sabry, Ahmed Hassan, and Mohamed Hassan—in performing a medley of Shaker’s notable works, including Al-Helm Al-Gameel, Lo Betheb Hakeqy, Ya Retny, Nesyanak Sa’b Akeed, Asaheb Meen, Ghalta, Howa Enty Lesa Bet’saly, Ana Mesh Ba’tab Aleik, Gorh-hy Ana, and Ediny Alby Tany. Additional musical performances during the event featured artist Mohamed Shahin singing “Yaretak Ma’aya, while star Anushka presented
Ana Alby Leek, and Nadia Mostafa concluded the evening's performances by singing
Moshtareky” and Wakeda Bardoh Ya Amar.
Family Presence and Public Remarks at the Cairo Opera House
The late singer’s widow, Nahla Tawfik, attended the ceremony alongside her son Sherif and grandchildren, marking her first public appearance since her husband’s death. Overcome with emotion on stage, she expressed gratitude to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for his official state condolences following Shaker’s passing, and thanked the Ministry of Culture and the Opera House for dedicating the festival edition to his memory.
Hany will remain with us and live on within us because he shaped a large part of our memories and our very soul. The body departs, but the legacy remains, and his legacy is a good one, and God granted him his wish. Nahla
Tawfik recalled her late husband’s final wishes, noting that he had received numerous regional honors during his lifetime but considered recognition from the Cairo Opera House paramount. She shared that he frequently expressed a simple desire: When I am gone, I want people to remember me with kindness.
Researchers Discuss Preserving Arab Musical Heritage
Alongside the evening performances, the festival incorporates an academic conference running for four consecutive days from October 21 through October 24. Thirty-five researchers from 15 countries participate in sessions addressing musicology, historical preservation, and the adaptation of digital archiving techniques for Arab musical heritage.
- The late composer and accordionist Mokhtar El-Sayed
- Violinist Dr. Samir Rashad
- Nay player Mohamed Fouda
- The late composer and arranger Mohamed Helal
- Music critic Dr. Enas Galal El-Din
- The late poet Reda Amin
- Singer Walid Haidar
- Artist Tarek Fouad
The festival continues daily across its designated venues in Cairo and Alexandria, concluding on October 30.
