Goethe-Institute launches Cairo Contemporary Music festival

CAIRO - 29 April 2017: The Cairo Festival of Contemporary Music was launched last Thursday, April 27, at the Goethe-Institute in Cairo, to discuss the beginnings of contemporary music in Darmstadt, Germany. The festival is held under the auspices of the Foreign Cultural Relations Department in the Ministry of Culture, and will last till April 30.

Doris Kostracha, Professor of Music and Philosophy at the Johannes Gutenberg University, is the festival guest of honor. Kostracha gave two lectures: the first titled "John Cage's Ideas for a Better World", and the second was about the beginnings of contemporary music.

The second part of the "Carte Blanche" program will be held at the end of the Cairo Contemporary Music Days festival, Sunday, April 30. It hosts Egyptian musicians and artists, such as the Egyptian Soprano Amina Khairat.

The Egyptian soprano Dina Iskandar is also participating along with a foreign viola player. The soprano was chosen for her charming voice and her ability to mix Arabic and operatic singing techniques. The Egyptian nay player Hany el-Badry will perform at the ceremony with a music piece played for the first time.

It is worth mentioning that for the first time in Cairo and the world, the Egyptian Ensemble of contemporary music is collaborating with the Lithuanian Ensemble through the fifth session of the Cairo Contemporary Music Days festival.