Sherif Sonbol's lens captured scenes from Al-Leila Al-Kebira (The Big Night) ballet, Salah Jahin's classic puppet operetta composed by Sayed Mekkawi, and Marks and Marquina's Lorkiana ballet, originally choreographed by Mark Minatskanian. Both shows were performed by the Cairo Opera Ballet Company, directed by Abdel-Moneim Kamel, for four days at the Cairo Opera House. For the first time in Egypt and Lebanon and as part of Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy's (Culture Resource) Spring Festival organised in both Egypt and Lebanon, Persian classical music rising star Kayhan Kalhor, who has a formidable international reputation as a virtuoso on the kamancheh, performed at concerts in Cairo and Beirut. His improvisations of Iranian folk songs were performed at a concert at Al-Genena Theatre of Al-Azhar Park last Saturday and at another concert in Beirut on 8 May at the Sunflower Theatre. Kalhor has toured the world as a soloist with various ensembles and orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and l'Orchestre National de Lyon. He has composed works for Iran's most renowned vocalists, Mohamed Reza Shajarian and Shahram Nazeri. Three of his recent recordings have been nominated for Grammy Awards, including two previous World Village releases, Faryad and Without You. The Heikal Foundation for Arab Journalism will host Harvard University professor, Stephen Walt, on 28 and 29 May to conduct a workshop and give a lecture on "The Determinants of American Foreign Policies in the Middle East". Scheduled to be held at the American University in Cairo's Oriental Hall, 50 journalists from Egypt and the Arab world will be selected to take part in the workshop. The deadline for application is 18 May at the temporary headquarters of the foundation at Talaat Harb Square in Downtown Cairo. A professor of international affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, Walt has attracted considerable public attention for co-authoring and publishing an article, which was subsequently published as a book, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, a New York Times best seller. Last Saturday, the AUC Bye Bye Old Campus event took place from 2pm till 11pm at the AUC's Main Campus. Many AUCians attended the event, including prominent and celebrity alumni, such as actress Lubna Abdel-Aziz, in addition to numerous undergraduates and faculty members. It was a fun- filled programme that kicked-off with numerous performances by AUC bands in the Science Garden. Later in the afternoon, a talk show took place with renowned TV presenter Moataz El-Demerdash. In the evening, the programme moved indoors to the Ewart Hall, featuring speeches by the Student Union president, the general manager of the project, as well as the organising committee head. In addition, documentaries were shown comprising student testimonials of their experiences at AUC's old campuses. Talk shows included a number of renowned figures such as Omar Samra, Louis Greiss, Beethoven Tayel, Osama Saraya and Wael El-Ebrashi. Last but not least, the VIP reception was held in the presidential garden of the Main Campus. The Cervantes Institute in Cairo held a party last week at its headquarters in Doqqi to commemorate the donation presented by the Mexican Embassy's Library in Cairo to Adolfo Bioy Casares Library in the Cervantes Institute. The books offered to the Adolfo Bioy Casares Library numbered 1,500 in different fields, such as politics, literature, culture and art. This makes it one of the most specialised libraries of Latin American culture in the Arab world. The ceremony began with a speech delivered by Director of the Cervantes Institute Luis Javier Ruiz Sierra to welcome his guests, in which he praised the cultural cooperation between both countries. A bevy of diplomats attended the ceremony, including Mexican Ambassador Jaime Naulart and his Spanish counterpart Antonio López. The donation's timing is concurrent with the celebration this year of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Mexico, which started officially in March 1958. On the occasion of the completion of the architectural conservation of Qubbat Afandina (the Mausoleum of Khedive Tawfiq), the American University in Cairo Press and the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo organised an Islamic Art and Architecture celebration at Ghafir Cemetery in Old Cairo. It was attended by Minister of Waqf (Religious Endowments) Mohamed Hamdi Zaqzouq, Cairo Governor Abdel-Azim Wazir and Nabila Aql from the AUC press, among other high-profile figures. photos: Ayman Barayez On the occasion of celebrating the UAE's Army Day, a lavish reception was held at the Four Seasons at Nile Plaza Hotel, attended by Deputy Chief of Mission at the UAE Embassy Hassan Al-Shehi, Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Meselhi, Minister of Waqf (Religious Endowments) Mohamed Hamdi Zaqzouq, Moroccan Ambassador Mohamed Farag Al-Dokali and media figures Gihan El-Azazi and Gihan Labib. Indeed, my friends, those were the days. During the reunion held last Friday at the German Evangelical School in Doqqi, Nora Moussa told Nesmahar Sayed, "every year I make sure not to miss out on attending this get-together to meet old friends and relive the good old days at school." The graduates brought their families with them and were welcomed by none other than Hussein El-Zeneiny, who himself graduated from the German Evangelical School in 1981. School headmaster Ruper Tbaab was beaming with pride that day to see the graduates still nostalgic for their school. Egyptian representative of the German School in Bab Al-Louq Magda Tantawi was among the guests and was busy talking to Hoda Eissa, manager of the Egyptian department in the Doqqi school, on current educational issues. Guests were entertained by the soft voices of Nesma Mahgoub and Omar Bashir, both students of the school. At the Nile Hilton, the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs in Egypt held a lavish dinner celebrating spring. General Manager Jean Welti welcomed more than 120 Chaine members and their VIP guests at the Rotisserie Belvedere. The evening started with an elegant cocktail reception on the Rotisserie Belvedere Terrace, where guests enjoyed breathtaking views of the Nile.
