Group Exhibition and Concert celebrating the memory of SAYED DARWISH

Sayed Darwish is one of the greatest figures in the Egyptian Musical Scene. Born in 1892, and passed away just 31 years later of an heart attack, his life achievements were so great that he is considered by many the father of Egyptian music. In his brief life, the singer and composer became a leader of the Egyptian “cultural renaissance”, and one of the bards of the 1919 Revolution. Perhaps his main achievement was to popularize music and to reflect in it people’s soul and their social and political demands. According to one author*, he played a crucial role in the adoption of Western techniques in writing music and in the increased use of Western instruments, considered more capable of expressing emotions. His song Bilady, Bilady, Bilady was to become Egyptian National Anthem in 1979.

* Philippe Vigreux “ Centralité de la musique égyptienne”, 1991

The Mahmoud Mokhtar Cultural Centre is holding a group exhibition celebrating the memory of Sayed Darwish. The inauguration takes place on Thursday September 23, 2008 at 9:00 PM. After the opening, there will be a musical concert by Dr. Hassan El Bahr Darwish Band. Free Entrance.

Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum

5, Tahrir Street

Tel.: 27351123

(Difficult to find, but worth it for both the stunning works of Egypt’s first modern sculptor and for the architecture of the museum itself. It is located on the southern tip of Zamalek, opposite the Opera House, on your right-hand side heading to Tahrir Square, after the Galaa Bridge. The museum is across a small bridge, wedged between the Cairo Sporting Club and the Public Gardens. More about the museum in Egypt Today online edition's excellent article http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6839)