What’s On

An evening of music to celebrate one of the most significant local arts, “The Art of Sawt,” performed by Salah Hamad Khalifa, one of the few artists renowned for performing it.

Throughout the ages, the “art of sawt” has been a fundamental element of singing in the different regions of the Arabian Peninsula. Historically, Kuwait and Bahrain were pioneers in producing and performing this singing art. As a dynamic and evolving art that surrenders to the taste of its performers while performing, Kuwaiti artists have been more successful in preserving and developing it.

As part of the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Cultural Centre’s efforts to promote local arts, The Recital Hall will host a musical evening on June 13, featuring Salah Hamad Khalifa, one of the few artists renowned for performing sawt.

The Sawt is distinguished by poetry such as Al-Humaini and eloquent Arabic poetry, in addition to its specific musical genres and scales such as Shami and Al-Arabi. In the performance of the sawt, musical instruments are also an important element, making it a unique folk art. There have been many musicians and singers in Kuwait, Bahrain and the Arabian Gulf who have excelled at presenting all styles of this art, including Abdullah Al-Faraj, Youssef Al-Bakr, Mohamed bin Faris, Abdullatif and Mahmoud Al-Kuwaiti.

The Lebanese superstar, Najwa Karam, will perform for charity on June 14th. The revenues will go to patients with terminal illnesses in Kuwait and Lebanon.

Lebanese superstar Najwa Karam returns to Kuwait on June 14 at the National Theatre for a concert dedicated to hope. This charity event benefits patients with terminal illnesses in Kuwait and Lebanon and is organized by Beit Abdullah Children’s Hospice in Kuwait and SANAD Home Hospice Care in Lebanon.

The acclaimed singer will perform songs from her entire career, which have put her among the contemporary top Arab singers. In 2017, Forbes magazine ranked her fifth among its Top 100 Arab Celebrities. The career of Najwa Karam began in 1985 when she won the gold medal in the talent show “Layali Lebnan” (Lebanon Nights). After releasing her debut album, “Ya Habayeb” in 1989, she followed it up three years later with “Shams Al-Ghnya” (The Sun of Songs), which enjoyed massive success. She was called the sun of Lebanon’s song by Lebanese journalist Georges Ibrahim El-Khoury using the title of her album.

A new concert from Without a microphone series to celebrate the works of the late star of the Gulf song in the Eighties, Rabab.

A new concert in the “Without a Microphone” series will be held at the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ali Concert Hall on June 20, celebrating the songs of the late renowned singer Rabab. The beginning of Rabab’s career was in 1977, when she won first place in a talent show on Kuwaiti television for her beautiful voice, sincere and unique singing style. A year later, she joined the Kuwaiti radio band’s choir. After two years, in 1980, the great Kuwaiti composer Khaled Al-Zayed discovered this outstanding talent and composed her first song, “Ijrah” (Hurt), which marked Rabab’s breakthrough and led her to become later the star of the Gulf female singers’ scene in the Eighties with a number of beautiful songs that are still fresh in people’s minds.

As a tribute to Rabab’s status and beautifully composed works, we present this concert featuring a collection of her most memorable songs. And just as music used to be played without amplification for hundreds of years, “Without a Microphone” evenings bring melodies and songs in their purest form, without the use of microphones, mixers, or speakers. During the upcoming concert, Dr Khaled Noori, the conductor, will lead a large ensemble of more than 50 virtuosi musicians and singers. They have been trained for a long time to achieve the highest level of classical performance.

In celebration of Eid al-Adha, Mai Farouq, Egypt’s famous singer, performs a splendid concert with the musical ensemble conducted by Dr Mohamed Al-Mougui.

For Eid Al-Adha, Egypt’s powerful voice Mai Farouq will perform at the National Theatre “Layali Al-Ons” (Splendid Nights) concert. Farouq is renowned throughout the Arab world for her outstanding performances of songs by prominent Arab singers. During the concert, she will present works by Umm Kulthum, Abdel Halim Hafez, Sayed Mekkawi, Mayada El Henawi, Zekra, George Wassouf, and others.

Mai Farouq began her singing career with the Egyptian Opera House’s children choir under the direction of the highly regarded conductor Selim Sahab. She sang in front of an audience for the first time when she was eight years old. With her confident performance and strong voice, she caught the audience’s attention. Since then, Farouq has mastered covers of Arabic music’s greatest stars, including Umm Kulthum. Whenever she performs, the listener is guaranteed to feel just as satisfied as if they were listening to the original song. In this concert, through Mai’s voice and performance, together with the music ensemble led by Dr Mohamed Al-Mougui, we relive the golden age of great singers and their splendid musical nights.