Lusail Museum Conversations presents Echoes of Cairo

In the early 1900s, Cairo’s recording studios immortalized the golden age of music through fragile discs, preserving voices and styles that could have otherwise faded away. September this year, Lusail Museum Conversations, a series of public lectures and events, will rekindle Egyptian music from 1900 with the panel talk and concert, Echoes of Cairo: Reviving Egyptian Music from 1900.

This event is part of Qatar Creates Talks, fostering an interdisciplinary exchange across art, design, architecture, film, music, and beyond, in collaboration with Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q).

The panel discussion will take place on September 28, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at GU-Q’s Faculty Conference Room. Renowned ethnomusicologists, Bashir Saade, Sophie Frankford, and Martin Stokes, along with musicians Tarik Beshir and Walid Zaido, will discuss the repertoire, recordings, and history behind the music. They will also address the challenges of bringing these works back to life from aging shellac records.

The concert follows on September 29, from 6pm to 7:30pm at GU-Q’s Auditorium, offering a full live performance steeped in Arab heritage. The lineup includes five members of Oxford Maqam: Martin Stokes, Bashir Saade, Sophie Frankford, Tarik Beshir, and Walid Zaido. Known for their innovative approach to classical Arabic music, the group meticulously researches and employs period recording techniques to recreate historical works, breathing new life into forgotten repertoire for modern audiences.

This event is particularly significant as Qatar prepares to observe a Year of Culture with Egypt in 2027, a year aimed at fostering deeper cultural exchange between the two nations.