JEDDAH: Egyptian musician Omar Khairat and his orchestra dazzled hundreds of music lovers at Juman Park at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) Friday night.
Tickets to the concert were sold out despite prices ranging from SR1,000-SR2,200 ($266-$586), with the open-air musical evening attracting some 880 people.
The event was organized by KAEC and Benchmark event management company, in collaboration with the General Authority for Entertainment (GAE).
The prominent Egyptian composer and pianist is best known for composing soundtracks for popular TV series in the 1980s and 1990s — such as “Damir Abla Hekmat” and “Laylat Al-Qabd Ala Fatma” — which many Arabs can relate to.
It was Khairat’s first performance to a Saudi audience inside the Kingdom. The event was attended by Nasser Hamdy, Cairo’s ambassador to Riyadh, and representatives from the embassy, whom Khairat welcomed during an interval. The musician spoke to the audience, expressing how pleased he was to have so many people interested in his music.
“What a beautiful audience,” he said. “I want to thank you very much and thank the Saudi people that we (Egyptians) have a lifelong great relationship with which will always remain so.”
Khairat played 20 of his famous instrumental compositions, including “Afwan Ayuha Al-Qanoon” and “Amm Ahmed.”
The concert was the first in a series of musical KAEC events under the title “Watar”, meaning “string of a musical instrument” in Arabic.
“Watar”, which is a joint-collaboration between KAEC and Benchmark, aims to hold more of what they called “sophisticated concerts” welcoming international musicians.
The west-coast city of Jeddah has recently witnessed a number of cultural and entertainment events, supported by the GAE.
In early February, Saudi singer Mohammed Abdu performed at a concert at King Abdullah Sports City, which was the city’s first concert in seven years.
Most recently, the first Saudi Comic Con attracted thousands of Marvel, superhero and animation fans.
Families also showed great interest in the Spanish acrobatic group “Kibai Des Sens,” which recently performed in Saudi Arabia’s three main cities Jeddah, Riyadh and Alkhobar.
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