by Amr Abulnaga
There are two orchestras in Cairo, Egypt’s capital city: the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, and the Cairo Opera Orchestra, both of which provide full time positions with ten-month annual engagements. There is also a semi-professional orchestra in Alexandria on the north coast, the Alexandria Bibliotheca Orchestra, which performs once a month during their season.
Since I returned to Egypt in 2008, I have performed a few solo recitals. I also established the Cairo Horn Quartet and the Cairo Brass Quintet. These groups, regrettably, only lasted until 2017. Beyond these, there is normally little else in the way of regular featured horn performances or chamber music.
I have recently established the Mosaic quintet, a unique combination of musicians specializing in both Arabic and Western classical music. Besides myself, Hany Al-Badry performs on nay (or ney, a traditional end-blown flute), Mohamed Essam on piano, Ahmad Osman on double bass, and Hisham Kamal on percussion. Mosaic’s instrumental line-up recalls jazz combos in which one or more solo instruments (here, horn and nay) become the protagonists of the show, accompanied by a rhythm section. But in Mosaic, the horn adds a Western classical flavor while the nay provides the color of traditional Arabic music. The result is of interest to a large segment of the Egyptian audience which enjoys Western harmonies and Arabic melodies alike. The Western ear is not accustomed to the Arabic maqamat [musical modes], but the dialogue created between the horn and the nay appeals to those listeners’ tastes, as well. My colleagues and I share the same passion and the same inspiration, believing that we can present something new and “outside the box.” Mosaic’s concerts have been very successful, and this has encouraged us to continue our work and to think more deeply about realizing our mission.
We have three faculty members at the Cairo Conservatoire including myself and two senior faculty members, Khalaf Farag and Maha EL-Ghandour. Farag studied under Georges Barboteu in France in the 1980’s, and EL-Ghandour received her education in Cairo.
Generally, the horn is a less appealing instrument for Egyptian students because it is more expensive than trumpets or trombones. Additionally, music classes are not offered in the K-12 school system; the only place to learn the horn is to be admitted to the Cairo Conservatoire where we normally accept just 4 to 6 students annually. Another difficulty is the funding needed to obtain instruments so that performers and teachers can establish a community and events through which our future players can grow and flourish.
From the 1940’s to the 1970’s, Egypt had fine hornists, most of whom were foreign players hired from Europe. Today, while our numbers are still small, there are enough local players who are strong enough to fill the sections of the two orchestras in Cairo.
Amr Abulnaga
Dr. Abulnaga received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Cairo Conservatoire, a Master of Music degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, and his DMA from the University of Alabama in 2007. He has been a member of several orchestras both in Egypt and across the southern United States, and he has appeared as a soloist with many of these orchestras. He has performed as soloist on the recordings of Mozart’s Symphonie Concertante with the Orchestre Pour La Paix, and St. Säens’ Romance with the Alexandria Bibliotheca Chamber Orchestra.
Dr. Abulnaga is the former principal horn with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra. He currently serves as horn professor in the Cairo Conservatoire, and he is also a member of the faculty of The American University in Cairo where he teaches introduction to music, world music, and music fundamentals courses.
