In these pages you will hopefully find interesting tips on how to take advantage of Cairo's many cultural opportunities, with particular attention to live events. Cairo Live Events Guide does not pretend to be exhaustive but will try to cover main events open to the public.

This is a private, independent, nonprofit endeavour. This blog was started in August 2008 by Cairowanderer who has been running it solo up to May 2011. Since then Cairene Beat contributes as well to the blog. If you have any comment, tip, or information you think might be relevant for the blog, please write to cairowanderer@gmail.com or cairenebeat@gmail.com.

Read about Cairo Live Events Guide on The Daily News Egypt

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Violin and Piano recital - TONIGHT


I know this comes a bit late but I just came to know that tonight, Wednesday December 21 at 8:00 PM the theatre of the Italian Cultural Institute in Zamalek will host a Violin and Piano recital with Regine Bernhauer (Piano) and Mahmoud Said (Violin).

The concert will feature a selection of the most important and characteristic pieces chosen from the Mediterranean repertoire; a night meant to be an historical and artistic summary, from Brahms to Bazzini through Arabic music. Europe and Egypt meet each other in a dialog made by young musicians: a promise for the future, a great hope for music and for art. The programme of the concert is as follows:

P. de Sarasate: Romance Andaluse op.22
J. Brahms: Sonata Nr.3 d-Moll op.108

**************Intermission****************

Dia Succari: A la Dalona (Folk song)
A. Bazzini: La Ronde des Lutins op 25
Adel. A. Afify: Scherzo for Violin and Piano
P. de Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen op.20

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

ASLY MASRY Film Festival


From the 19 to the 22 of January 2012 Cairo will host the Asly Masry Film Festival, an independent film festival organized in the framework of the EU co-funded Project "Rising Stars – Itinerant Cinema in Egypt" which aims to support and enhance the independent Egyptian production through documentary workshops, open public lectures, production of short documentaries, and an Itinerant Film Festival to disseminate the work of Egyptian filmmakers.

Asly Masry (Original Egyptian) is the main theme of this Festival: a collection of films made by Egyptians, produced in Egypt, or talking about Egypt, under the artistic direction of the Cinema Critic Essam Zakaria,

The first stop of the Festival will be in Cairo, at the Italian Cultural Institute (Zamalek) and will be composed of: (I) a Competition Section opened to short films and documentaries; (II) an Extra Section, with all types of films (short, long, documentary, feature, animation) and (III) the Rising Stars Section that will screen a preview of the Short Documentaries produced by the Project and a photo exhibition -with backstage and still photos from the Rising Stars Documentaries production. Afterward, a selection of Asly Masry screenings will move to Port Said (26 – 28 January) and Minia (2- 4 February).

The Rising Stars Project and the Asly Masry Film Festival are implemented by Ricerca e Cooperazione NGO (www.ongrc.org) in partnership with SEMAT House for Production and Distribution (www.sematcairo.com), and in collaboration with: ICI – Italian Cultural Insitute, CFCC - Centre Français de Culture et Cooperation, and BEBA - Baad el Bahr Cultural Association. The project is co-financed by the European Union. For further information, please go to http://risingstarsproject.wordpress.com and the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RisingStarsEgypt

Do not miss Asly Masry screenings, (19 -22 January) at 6 PM, in the Italian Cultural Institute of Cairo: 3 El Sheikh El Marsafi, Zamalek

For further information, please contact risingstars.comm@gmail.com

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Cultural Event at the Italian Cultural Institute

On Tuesday December 20, 2011 at 6:00 PM, the Italian Cultural Institute in Zamalek will host the inauguration ceremony of an Italian-Egyptian Committee to foster the Cultural Relations between the two countries.
What follows is the press release of the event:

On Tuesday December 20th at 6 p.m. at the Italian Cultural Institute will be inaugurated a cultural committee established by the Institute to promote the cultural cooperation between the two countries that boast millenary traditions. In the belief that culture, even in extremely heated and exciting moments as the ones we are facing nowadays in Egypt and in the Mediterranean area, can represent a bridge across our cultures and a stimulus for fostering the joint relations not only in the cultural sector but also in other fields.

The committee, headed by the honorary president H. E. the Ambassador of Italy, Claudio Pacifico, under the coordinating authority of the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute, Arnaldo Dante Marianacci, will include a number of sixty persons among the most relevant cultural and financial local representatives as well as prominent literary professors and important personalities in the show business, among all, the famous actor Omar Sharif and the writer Gamal El Ghitani.

The December 20th meeting will be the occasion of announcing the 2012 cultural program of the Italian Cultural Institute as well as to inaugurate the library of the Institute, the second most relevant among the eighty-nine Institutes in the world with 34.000 books, that will be entitled to Giuseppe Ungaretti, the great Italian poet born in Alexandria.

The actor Alessandro Quasimodo, Salvatore Quasimodo’s son, Nobel prize for Literature in 1959, will read poems written by Ungaretti in Italian, while the most famous Egyptian living poet Ahmed Abdel Moaty Hegazy will read in Arabic.

Copies of Ungaretti’s work translated in Arabic by the translator Adel El Siwi, member of the committee as well, will be donated to the guests.

To conclude the evening a musical live session, at the violin, Mahmoud Said, at the piano Regine Bernhauer will play Franz Schubert pieces, a reception will follow.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Audition for Women Egyptian Singers, Friday, December 16, 2011

For anyone interested in entering "Sing Egyptian Women" or "Ghani Ya Masreya," Cairo Jazz Club is hosting an audition party on Friday, December 16, 2011. Your audition video will be filmed by a professional film crew. Each contestant gets a 20-minute time slot, which leaves time for 2 or 3 takes. A couple of the contest judges will be there to give advice and suggestions. This is a great way to get an edge on the competition! If interested, please email contact@nilepromotions.com with your name.

DISCO CAIRO 2011 on Friday, December 16, 2011


Disco Cairo 2011

Disco Cairo 2011


LIVE DJ FESTIVAL #1

On: Friday, 16 December 2011

At: Shahrazad nightclub

Alfy Street, Downtown , Cairo

LINE UP

DJ Wezza, Okka, Ortega, from Egypt

Addictive TV from the UK

Jerry Bouthier from France

Warm-up DJ Animal Strabisme from France

Find more details on our website

Check the event's Facebook page

Entrance with invitations only

You can collect your free invitation from

The British Council

192 El Nil Street, Agouza, Cairo, Egypt

Hotline +20 (0)2 19789

The French Institute, Cairo

1 Madrasset El Huquq El Frenseya ,off of Kasr El Eini Street

Mounira

Cairo , Egypt

T +20 (0)2 27915800

Doors open at 9.00 p.m.

Over 21s only

Check the MAP for the venue
Disco Cairo is presented by:

100COPIES MUSIC

BRITISH COUNCIL

INSTITUT FRANCAIS D'EGYPTE




WEEKLY MUSIC AGENDA December 12 - 16, 2011

Monday, December 12, 201

- Franz Liszt 200th anniversary concert conducted by Nayer Nagui at the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- 12th Kavafis Celebration (Greece) in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- at the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- DJ Awadi Brothers at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray, 7:30 PM

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

- Omar Khairat in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Ahmed Rabie Band in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- in the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- Egoz at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

- Omar Khairat in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Sphinx Orchestra conducted by Hany Hassan in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- DJ Tito at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray, 8:30
- Mazaher Ensemble at the Makan, 9:00

Thursday, December 15, 2011

- Boghdady Band featuring Magdy Boghdady in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- National Arab Music Ensemble at the Gomhouria Theatre, 8:00 PM
- JailBirds followed by Bad Mojo at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM
- Event at El Tanboura Hall, 8:30 PM

Friday, December 16, 2011

- DISCO CAIRO 2011 at Shahrazad Night Club, 9:00 PM
- The Bombie jazz trio & Nubian Drums at Qubbet Ghouri, Al Hussein, 9:00 PM
- Shady Ahmed at Kotob Khan (FB Page), 8:00 PM
- Ahmed Harfoush and Akram Sharkawy (Jazz) and Kempinski Bar, 9:30 PM
- Religious Songs Ensemble in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- in the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 7:00 PM
- in the River Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- DJ Aly B at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM

Cinema Updates

Monday, December 12, 2011
Yi Yi (2001) at Cinema El Fourn, Darb 17 18, 8:00 PM
English subtitles
Taiwan, Director: Edward Yang

A wedding and a grandmother's illness reveal fault lines in the lives of one Taipei family in Edward Yang's extraordinary film. Yi Yi is built from deceptively simple elements that together create a complex, warm, and utterly convincing portrait of family life. NJ Jian is a businessman facing bankruptcy, but he has to juggle his financial problems with family strife when his mother-in-law falls into a coma. NJ's wife, Min-Min, brings her mother home, and each family member--including daughter Ting-Ting and her delightful little brother Yang-Yang--spends hours talking to the old lady. These conversations become confessionals and the characters gradually re-evaluate their relationships. There are no catastrophic conflicts, only the ordinary, sometimes troubled, unfolding of lives. Yang enhances the film's sense of reality by frequently holding the camera back from the action. The use of long shots and unexpected angles makes it seem like the audience is eavesdropping, catching glimpses of lives passing by. Whether chronicling middle-age father NJ’s tentative flirtations with an old flame or precocious young son Yang-Yang’s attempts at capturing reality with his beloved camera, the filmmaker deftly imbues every gorgeous frame with a compassionate clarity. Warm, sprawling, and dazzling, this intimate epic is one of the undisputed masterworks of the new century..



Wednesday, December 14, 2011
The Royal Tenenbaums at Cinema El Fourn, Darb 17 18, 8:00 PM
English subtitles
(2001) – USA, Director: Wes Anderson

A comedic masterwork that ripples with inventive, richly emotional substance. Because of the all-star cast, hilarious dialogue, and oddball characters existing in their own, wholly original universe, it's easy to miss the depth and complexity of Anderson's brand of comedy. Here, it revolves around Royal Tenenbaum, the errant patriarch of a dysfunctional family of geniuses, including precocious playwright Margot, boyish financier and grieving widower Chas, and has-been tennis pro Richie. All were raised with supportive detachment by mother Etheline, and all ache profoundly for a togetherness they never really had. The Tenenbaums reconcile somehow, but only after Anderson puts them through a compassionate series of quirky confrontations and rekindled affections. Not for every taste, but this is brilliant work from any perspective


Saturday, December 17, 2011

THE YOUNG VICTORIA (2009) at the Cairo Opera House, 7:30 PM
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
Featuring Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend and Paul Bettany
Runtime: 105 min. English with Arabic subtitles.

A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Music updates for Sunday, December 11, 2011

A full list of events for the rest of the week will be available before tomorrow. Apologies again for the delay.

Sunday, December 11, 2011


- Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Kolthoumiat at the Arab Music Institute, 8:00 PM
- Mustafa el Ammar (Iraq) in the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- Songs from Naguib Mahfouz in the River Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 7:00 PM
- Rooftop Sessions (Jazz trio) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM
- Samaa’ Band led by Intesar Abdel-Fattah at the Ghouri Palace, 8:00 PM
- El-Nil Troupe for folk instruments (Folk music and songs) at Beit Al-Suheimi, 7:30 PM

Events Update

Apologies for the delay but here is a quick update for the day.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

NVIC Shorts 1 at the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Zamalek at 7:00 PM

Irtigaal (Improvisation) – Bekara (Hymen) – El Central (Telephone Station) – Ahmar Bahet (Pale Red)

NVIC Shorts is a series of short film screenings in which an Egyptian director shows his/her work and that of fellow filmmakers. During the first NVIC Shorts, director and screenwriter Yasser Naeim shows his documentary ‘Improvisation’ and invites fellow makers Hisham Saqr and Mohamed Hammad to screen their short movies ‘Hymen’, ‘Telephone Station’ and ‘Pale Red’.


Irtigaal (Improvisation) – Yasser Naeim – 2010
Yasser Naeim followed director Ibrahim El Batout after he finished his movie ‘Ein Shams’. Batout’s second long fiction film was shot in very improvisational circumstances without professional equipment nor a large budget or shooting permits. Through the lens of the creative process of ‘Ein Shams’, ‘Improvisation’ gives a very interesting insight in the independent digital film industry in Egypt as a whole.

Yasser Naeim (° 1977) works in cinema since 2003 as a producer, director and script writer. He is currently working on his first feature film in collaboration with Youssef Chahine’s ‘Misr International Films’.
Language: Arabic (English subtitles)
Duration: 30 minutes


Bekara (Hymen) – Hisham Saqr – 2010
When a brother and sister, two Egyptian young adults experience sex outside the boundaries of society's acceptance and approval, they have to confront their personal beliefs and social value system. They find themselves caught up in a web of multiple standards, lies and hypocrisy. The ultimate test for morality is an easily replaceable piece of flesh but no one seems to admit that.

Hisham Saqr (°1980) worked as an editor in ‘Microphone’(2010). ‘Bekara’ is his first short film, he wrote, directed and edited himself.
Language: Arabic (English subtitles)
Duration: 10 minutes


El Central (Telephone Station) – Mohamed Hammad - 2006
‘El Central’ is a film about a woman who works at a call center and eavesdrops on the people who make their calls from there. She’s the only one, who knows all their dirty secrets.

Language: Arabic (English subtitles)
Duration: 18 minutes

Ahmar Bahet (Pale Red) – Mohamed Hammad - 2009
‘Amar Bahet’ tells the story of Shaima, a teenager who lives with her grandmother. The two women have nothing in common. One day Shaima faces an embarrassing situation that makes her become aware of her womanhood.

Mohamed Hammad (°1981) graduated in literature from Helwan University. He is an independent screenwriter and filmmaker with a main thematic interest in the life of the Egyptian female. He made several documentaries and short films and won international awards with his short film ‘Ahmar Bahet’. He is currently working on his first full-length feature film.
Language: Arabic (English subtitles)
Duration: 14 minutes

LA MEGLIO GIOVENTÙ (THE BEST OF YOUTH) at the Italian Institute of Culture, 6:00 PM (rerun at 8:00 PM)
An Italian epic that follows the lives of two brothers, from the 1960s to the 2000s.

Director:
Marco Tullio Giordana
Writers:
Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli
Stars:
Luigi Lo Cascio, Alessio Boni and Jasmine Trinca

Sunday, December 4, 2011

MAGDA AMARA Piano Recital


The internationally acclaimed Russian pianist Magda Amara will perform on Sunday December 11, 2011 at 8:00 PM in the Golden Room of the Mohamed Ali Palace in Manial (also known as Manial Palace).
The evening program includes great pieces from Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev.
For more details and artist's bio, click here.


Saturday, December 3, 2011

Last minute updates for Saturday, December 3, 2011

MOVIE:

FULL METAL JACKET directed by Stanley Kubrick being shown at the Jesuit Culture Center, 6:30 PM
English with Arabic subtitles. Entrance free.

OPERA:
"Rodelinde" LIVE from the Metropolitan Opera screened at the Small Hall, Opera House, 7:00 PM

Also,
Friday, December 9, 2011
- Salalem (Blues/Funk/Rock) at the Bikya cafe, 7:30 PM

Friday, December 2, 2011

WEEKLY AGENDA MUSIC December 2 - 9, 2011

Friday, December 2, 2011

- Bailando (Spanish music) Band in the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- El Masryeen Band (Egyptian music) in the River Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- DJ Ramzi & DJ S. Nakhla (Techno / House) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM
- Nacelle (House) at Yasso Lounge, Trianon Boat, Giza, 8:00 PM

Saturday, December 3, 2011

- Handel's "Rodelinda" live from the Metropolitan Opera in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 7:00 PM (correction)
- Charbel Rouhana and the Oriental Jazz trio in the River Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- Salalem (Blues/Funk/Rock) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray, 7:30 PM

Sunday, December 4, 2011

- National Arab Music Ensemble in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Marwa Amer (Song recital) in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Oriental Takht led by Dr. Ashraf Said in the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- Cocoon (Latin Jazz) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM
- Samaa’ Band led by Intesar Abdel-Fattah at the Ghouri Palace, 8:00 PM
- El-Nil Troupe for folk instruments (Folk music and songs) at Beit Al-Suheimi, 7:30 PM

Monday, December 5, 2011

- DJ Ouzo (Electronic) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray, 7:30 PM

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

- Ghada Shaker & Afaf Tolba present Talents Development Center Students in Piano recital at the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Classikiat Moasra (Contemporary Classical) in the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- Haga Tanya Khales (Oriental Latin Jazz) in the River Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- Spunky Dynamite (FukRock 'n Roll / Dance) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

- Annual Children's Day festival at the Gomhouria Theatre, 8:00 PM
- Karakeeb at the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- DJ Ramy (Boogie) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray, 8:30
- Mazaher Ensemble at the Makan, 9:00

Thursday, December 8, 2011

- Cairo Opera Company presents "La Boheme" in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Chamber music concert, Mohamed Hamdy, in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Talent Development Center concert at the Gomhouria Theatre, 8:00 PM
- Leil we Ein in the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- HanyMust and Wust El Balad (Oriental Jazz) at the Cairo Jazz Club, 9:00 PM
- Rango (Sudanese music) at El Tanboura Hall, 8:30 PM

Friday, December 9, 2011

- Cairo Opera Company presents "La Boheme" in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Cairo Opera String Quartet in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 8:00 PM
- Awtar Ensemble conduted by Amr Abdel Moneim at the Gomhouria Theatre, 8:00 PM
- Medhat Saleh at the MUST Opera, 8:00 PM
- Kayan (Rock) and Bel Ma'alob in the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- Mido Zoheir's "Azraq" (Poetry and Music) in the River Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 8:00 PM
- Salalem (Blues/Funk/Rock) at the Bikya Cafe, 7:30 PM (update)

Cinema Updates


Sunday, December 4, 2011 (2 events)

THE SECOND TIME at the Italian Institute of Culture, 6:00 PM (rerun 8:00 PM)
Italian with English subtitles
Directed by Mimmo Calopresti.
Featuring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Nanni Moretti, Simona Caramelli, Marina Confalone.
Drama, Runtime : 80 min.
Italy / 1995.

A university professor sees on the street the terrorist who shot him twelve years ago in the head, without killing him, but leaving a dangerous bullet in his skull. The terrorist was sentenced to thirty years, but now enjoys a special permit, so that she can walk around the city. The professor approaches her but she does not recognize him, and mistakes him for a suitor. But the truth comes to light. The professor feels he has the right to obtain explanations from his executioner. The directorial debut of M. Calopresti, is a film about the memory of political terrorism that plagued Italy since the '60s.

EIN SHAMS (EYE OF THE SUN) at the Netherlands Institute of Culture, 7:00 PM
Directed by Ibrahim El-Batout
With: Ramadan Khater, Hanan Yousef, Boutros Boutros Ghali
Language: Arabic with English subtitles
Duration: 115 minutes.
Egypt – 2008

From once being the capital of Egypt during the Pharaonic era and a sacred location marked by the visit of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, Ein Shams has become one of Cairo's poorest and most neglected neighbourhoods. Through the eyes of Shams, an 11-year-old girl inhabitant of this neighbourhood, the film captures the sadness and magic that envelops everyday life in Egypt. In a series of heart-rending events, the diverse characters of the film showcase the intricacies of Egypt's political system and social structure, and give a glimpse into the grievances of the Middle East region and the complex relationships of its nations.
Address: 1, Mahmoud Azmi Str (www.tinyurl.com/NVICmap), Zamalek, Egypt, 11211

Monday, December 5, 2011

GEBOREN IN ABSURDISTAN (BORN IN ABSURDISTAN) at the Austrian Cultural Forum, 6:30 PM
Directed by Houchang Allahyari, Tom Dariusch Allahyari
Featuring Karl Markovics, Julia Stemberger and Ahmet Ugurlu
Comedy / Drama. Austria / 1999.
116 min. German with English subtitles

It all begins with a mistake, an error with serious consequences: in a hospital the new-born babies of an Austrian couple and a Turkish family of immigrant workers are mixed up and go home with the wrong parents. By the time the mistake comes to light, it emerges that the Turkish family, including the baby, has been deported. The despairing Austrian couple begins a confusing odyssey through Turkey in order to track down the unsuspecting family to their native village. But they are not at all convinced that the babies have been mixed up. It is decided that the only way to know for sure is to have a blood test done. It is decided that the blood work is done in Vienna due to the better medical resources, but that will be far from simple. It will involve an illegal smuggling of the Turks across the Austrian border.

1103 Corniche El Nil (near Hotel), 1st Floor, Apt. 7, Garden City.