"Music Without Borders" celebrates the masterpieces of Baligh Hamdi amid a notable diplomatic presence

Rita Wakim – Montreal

"Music Without Borders" revived its concert as a tribute to the spirit of the immortal melody genius Baligh Hamdi, in the capital Ottawa on Sunday, amid a remarkable Arab diplomatic presence, as the Kailash Mital Theatre hall was filled with fans of the great creator who gathered to enjoy an evening that revived his most beautiful immortal works.

Baligh Hamdi played a prominent pioneering role in shaping the Arab musical scene, leaving an indelible mark in the history of Arab art. His first artistic collaboration was with the Star of the East Umm Kulthum in the song "Hob Eih," followed by a series of joint masterpieces, including "Ba’eed Anak," "Al Hob Kolo," "Seerat Al Hob," and "Alf Leila Wa Leila," works that formed a unique musical school still taught today for their magic and creativity.

The Dark-Skinned Nightingale Abdel Halim Hafez was also gifted a collection of unforgettable melodies, most notably "Sawaah," "Maw’ood," "Tawba," "Zay El Hawa," and other songs that carved their place in the memory of Arab art.

For the Shahroura Sabah, he composed distinctive works including "Zay El Asal" and "Aasheqa Wa Ghalbana," while he presented the singer Mayada El Hennawy with immortal masterpieces such as "Ana Ba’ashaqak," "Kan Ya Ma Kan," and "Habina Wa Tehabbeina." He also left his mark on the music and songs of the play "Raya wa Sekina," and on the famous religious chants "Mawlay" by Al Naqshbandi.

Baligh Hamdi formed an exceptional artistic and family duo with the great artist Warda Al-Jazairia, successfully utilizing her soulful voice in immortal works, including "Wehshtoni," "Al Oyoun Al Sowad," "Hekayti Ma’ Al Zaman," and "Bwa’adak," the song said to narrate a part of their personal life story.

Despite his departure from our world, Baligh Hamdi left a huge artistic legacy exceeding two thousand melodies, confirming his position as one of the most prominent innovators in the history of Arab and global music.

The concert was attended by the Ambassador of Yemen and Dean of the Arab Ambassadors Council, Ambassador Amal Al-Muallem, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the first woman to hold the position of Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in the history of the Kingdom, whose presence was remarkable and distinguished, accompanied by Senator Mohammed Al-Zaybaq and the Ambassador’s office director Lamia Hamdan Al-Muheibi.

Also present were the Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Sabah Al-Rafie, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to Canada Mr. Al-Asaad Boutara, Mr. Ali Al-Astad Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in Ottawa, Mr. Ali Al-Dairani Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Lebanese Republic in Ottawa, Mr. Abdullah Al-Hajri Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Ottawa, in addition to the Consul General of Pakistan in Montreal Faisal Abro.

The evening also witnessed the presence of the well-known businessman in the Lebanese Canadian community in Montreal Charles Al-Bustani, alongside Zuhair Al-Sha’er Editor-in-Chief of "Arab Canada News," Adel Iskandar
President of the Egyptian Canadian Friendship Association
and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Masriya Newspaper
and President of the Egyptian Festival in Canada
Nancy Youssef
Editor-in-Chief of Al-Mahrousa Magazine in Canada
and General Coordinator of the Egyptian Festival in Canada
and Tahani Al-Ghazali President of "Tawasul News" website.

Media personality Rita Wakim welcomed the attendees and thanked the musicians and singers who contributed to the success of the evening. Nizar Tabashrani played the qanun, Ziad Shabbat the ney, Abdullah Darwaj the darbuka, Joseph Khoury the riq, and Bice Rafi Hawi the guitar. The audience also enjoyed the wonderful voices of artists Rania Jamal and Najwa Tannous.

The musical arrangement of the concert was supervised and presented in this elegant and distinctive manner by the composer and conductor of the Toronto Arabic Orchestra, Maestro Gaby Al-Batros.

At the end of the evening, "Music Without Borders" promised its audience a soon meeting with new concerts and more beautiful artistic evenings.

Special thanks to the Community Supporter for this concert and all "Music Without Borders" concerts in Ottawa:
Egyptian Canadian Cultural Association of Ottawa
In appreciation of their continuous support and contribution to the success of these elegant artistic and cultural evenings