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Ensemble Bokra: Egypt's new formation with big plans Ahead of Ensemble Bokra's Friday 21 Feb inaugural concert, Bahaa El-Ansary, the dynamo behind the fresh creation, reveals his hopes to infuse the music field with a new spirit
With one world and one Egyptian premiere in the evening's repertoire, Ensemble Bokra will present works on Friday 21 February by Bahaa El-Ansary, George Kolta, Ibrahim Shamel, Mahmoud Shaarawy and Shady Hanna -- five young composers belonging to the 1990s-born generation. The programme will also include compositions by established musicians Amr Okba, Nahla Mattar and Ramz Sabry. Ensemble Bokra is one of the rare platforms which aim to shed light on contemporary Egyptian music. Their name Bokra, meaning 'Tomorrow', itself reveals the ensemble's aspiration to direct its attention towards the meandering path of the music world. Founded by Bahaa El-Ansary at the end of 2013, Ensemble Bokra consists of flutist Emad Atef, clarinettist Mostafa Saeed, pianist Israa Abd Elaziz, violinists Ahmed Ashraf and Ameer Sorour, violist Yousef Sameh, and cellist Marcellino Safwat. Biographies of the young musicians reveal countless accomplishments. Members of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra and Cairo Opera Orchestra as well as performers in smaller ensembles, some are winners of music competitions with a number of international appearances to their names. Pianist Israa Abd Elaziz is a winner of the Chopin Middle East competition, violinist Ameer Sorour is the winner of Egypt's 2009 award for The Best Young Soloist while cellist Marcellino Safwat received the first prize in the 2010 competition of the Egyptian Council for Culture. Sorour, violist Yousef Sameh and violinist Ahmed Ashraf are also members of The World Orchestra, comprised of musicians from 60 countries and performing across the globe to promote "interculturality" and solidarity through music. Though El-Ansary will not perform in the inaugural concert on Friday 21 February, he remains the driving force behind the formation, which he is confident will sustain its activities for years to come and for which he has numerous plans in store. Born in 1991, Bahaa El-Ansary studied ney (reed flute) at the Higher Institute of Arab Music before completing his studies in composition in 2012. He currently pursues further studies – enrolled at Instrumental Composition and Electroacoustic Composition classes – at the Conservatoire de Bordeaux, France. El-Ansary, who is dedicated to contemporary music, reveals to Ahram Online that the idea behind the ensemble's creation transcends its being merely an artistic podium for the new contemporary works emerging from the young, as well as more established, generation of musicians. "The world of contemporary music is not only about compositions. In order to have contemporary music we also need to develop musicians who know how to deal with this style," El-Ansary explains to Ahram Online. In Egypt there are still a few partisans of contemporary classical music. Well accomplished clarinettist Sherif El-Razzaz created a sustainable platform bringing this music genre to Egyptian audiences through the European-Egyptian Contemporary Music Society (EECMS) which he founded. El-Ansary was involved in Contemporary Music Days organised by EECMS in Egypt in 2012, through which he was able to participate in many master classes and workshops with both Egyptian and European composers. But while El-Razzaz creates dynamic cooperation between established Egyptian contemporary composers and their counterparts in Europe, El-Ansary reaches to the youngest Egyptian musicians hoping to develop in them the passion to perform, as well as compose, contemporary music. "If the young musicians stay in continuous touch with this style of music, I think that within six or seven years, we'll start experiencing a new fresh movement," Al-Ansary comments. "Contemporary music is simply music that is composed today and it reflects today's world. It is a territory being rediscovered and a lot is yet to be said, away from the traditionalist perception on contemporary music." As a composer himself, El-Ansary does not hide the many challenges that musicians like him still need to cope with, often on a daily basis. He points to a net of expectations placed on the composers from audiences, competition judges, festival organisers and supporters, underlining that while contemporary music has taken new turns to reflect today's world, the expectations of what he calls the "traditionalist contemporary music field" have not changed since the 1950s and 1960s, a fact which, according to El-Ansary, could all out suffocate the youngest generation of composers. "There were times when I wanted to give up, but then again this would not lead anywhere. For a contemporary composer it is important to continue working, without expecting immediate recognition or financial gains. It is important to build the repertoire," he says. But El-Ansary should consider himself one of the lucky ones. His compositions have already been performed in Egypt, Italy, Iceland, UK, Austria and France. He won the British Council Grants to Artists and the Egyptian Contemporary Classical Music Outreach Programme 2013 Commission Award, and was described by BBC Radio 3 as "one of the young voices who play a part in shaping Egypt's cultural future.'' El-Ansary hopes that Ensemble Bokra will create a sparkle and interest in contemporary music, not only in developing audiences but equally in creating a well deserved interest in this genre amongst youngest generations of musicians. What will begin with two to three concerts per year, El-Ansary believes can eventually be transformed into a bigger project that would also incorporate commissions and reading sessions. The concert which will take place on Friday 21 February at the Cairo Opera House Small Hall, 8pm, will include the following compositions: * Mahmoud Shaarawy: Smile, Piano Quintet * Nahla Mattar: Egyptian Miniatures Op.10 No.5, Solo Piano (Night Passing – Farmer with Ney – The Worker's Song – Isadora – El‐Hagalla) - Performed by the composer * Yousef Sameh, LOST, Free Composition - Performed by the composer (World Premiere) * Shady Hanna, Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano (Egypt Premiere) * Bahaa El-Ansary, 25th January, String Quartet * Ramz Sabry, Abstract, Duo for Cello and Piano, Op. 87 * Amr Okba, Utopia, Solo Clarinet * Ibrahim Shamel, String Quartet no 2 http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/94622.aspx
