Heritage and Modernity in Gaudeamusmuziekweek 2016

Promising Start of the EECMSNew Season

The EECMS is starting the second half of a very successful year with its participation in Gaudeamus Muziekweek festival in Utrecht in which its ensemble manifests and celebrates the fruitful outcome of the Forum of Heritage and Modernitytook place last April in Cairo. The Forum was supported by Allianz Cultural Foundation and under the Auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture.

The Egyptian Contemporary Music Ensemble proudly participates in the upcoming Gaudeamus Muziekweek in Netherlands, taking place next September where they will perform premiere Egyptian, Syrian and Dutch contemporary works. ECME performs works by Syrian composer Zaid Jabri, Egyptian composer Bahaa al Ansary and Ducth composers Wilbert Bulsink, Bart de Vrees and Wilem Jeths. The concert is preceded by some talks by Sherif el Razzaz who will join the Dutch composer Willem Jeths in the dialogue conducted by Geert van Oorschot.         

To know more about the event please visit the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/249909688716987/

Find more about Gaudeamus Muziekweek by visiting their website: http://www.muziekweek.nl

  The Ensemble; conducted by Lithuanian conductor Vykintas Baltakas, will be introducing the Dutch audience to contemporary pieces that integrate Arab culture whether by integrating Arab instruments or notes, systems, modes or instruments such as the Oud (Lute) which is the instrument focused mainly and lately on by the EECMS in almost all of its actions especially in the latest Heritage and Modernityinternational forum in Cairo.

For more on the program, date of the concert and venue, please follow this link: http://www.muziekweek.nl/en/programma/vague-contemporaine/

Meet the Composers

Syrian composer, Zaid Jabri participates with his work Fluctus for Oud and Ensemble in which he tries to mock the sounds of the waves of the Aegean Sea,  (Fluctus is an EECMS Commission supported by the Ernst V. Siemens Music Foundation and was Premiered in Cairo last April), while the two Dutch composers Wilbert Bulsink  and Bart de Vrees try to set a meeting between medieval to renaissance European styles and sounds with middle-Eastern tones and Maqams with which they have interacted before in Cairo in meetings with local Oud players as well as in the forum of Heritage and Modernitylast April. A new composition is to be added  to the program by the young Egyptian composer Bahaa al Ansary who as well was among our Generation of Tomorrow Lab in Cairo. In this work al Ansary tries to bring the Eternity of the Nile setting and atmosphere to the dutch audience. In addition to the valuable work and contribution of Dutch Laureate composer of the Netherlands (2014) that the ensemble will proudly perform.

 The EECMS thanks Gaudeamus Muziekweek and the Egyptian Foreign Cultural Relations sector for facilitating the awaited participation of ECME that represents Egypt in such a world-renowned contemporary music festival.