Music Commission to Organize ‘Masterpieces of Saudi Music’ Concert in US

The Music Commission will organize a musical show next Sunday at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Square in New York City
The Music Commission will organize a musical show next Sunday at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Square in New York City
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Music Commission to Organize ‘Masterpieces of Saudi Music’ Concert in US

The Music Commission will organize a musical show next Sunday at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Square in New York City
The Music Commission will organize a musical show next Sunday at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Square in New York City

Under the patronage of Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, the Music Commission, with the participation of the Theater and Performing Arts Commission, will organize a musical show next Sunday at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Square in New York City.

Eighty musicians from the National Orchestra and Choir (NOC) and the Saudi Performing Arts Band, accompanied by the American jazz band, Dizzy Gillespie, will perform at the concert as part of the “Masterpieces of Saudi Music," which includes a medley of Saudi folk songs in addition to individual performances. Dizzy Gillespie will present musical pieces in a joint performance with NOC.

The Theater and Performing Arts Commission will also present five shows that reflect the Kingdom's cultural diversity, including Al-Majrour, and Al-Samari.

The concert at the Metropolitan Opera House is the third destination of the "Masterpieces of Saudi Music" initiative after performances in Paris and the US state of New Mexico with the aim of introducing the world to Saudi music and performing arts.



Archaeologists Uncover Oldest Known Partial Face Fossil of Human Ancestor in Western Europe

This photo provided by the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in March 2025, shows archaeological excavation work at the Sima del Elefante site in Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain, where a fossil from a hominin between 1.1 million and 1.4 million years old was found. (Maria D. Guillén/IPHES-CERCA via AP)
This photo provided by the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in March 2025, shows archaeological excavation work at the Sima del Elefante site in Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain, where a fossil from a hominin between 1.1 million and 1.4 million years old was found. (Maria D. Guillén/IPHES-CERCA via AP)
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Archaeologists Uncover Oldest Known Partial Face Fossil of Human Ancestor in Western Europe

This photo provided by the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in March 2025, shows archaeological excavation work at the Sima del Elefante site in Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain, where a fossil from a hominin between 1.1 million and 1.4 million years old was found. (Maria D. Guillén/IPHES-CERCA via AP)
This photo provided by the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in March 2025, shows archaeological excavation work at the Sima del Elefante site in Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain, where a fossil from a hominin between 1.1 million and 1.4 million years old was found. (Maria D. Guillén/IPHES-CERCA via AP)

A fossil of a partial face from a human ancestor is the oldest in western Europe, archaeologists reported Wednesday.
The incomplete skull — a section of the left cheek bone and upper jaw – was found in northern Spain in 2022. The fossil is between 1.1 million and 1.4 million years old, according to research published in the journal Nature.
“The fossil is exciting," said Eric Delson, a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History, who was not involved in the study. “It's the first time we have significant remains older than 1 million years old in western Europe.”
A collection of older fossils from early human ancestors was previously found in Georgia, near the crossroads of eastern Europe and Asia. Those are estimated to be 1.8 million years old, The Associated Press reported.
The Spanish fossil is the first evidence that clearly shows human ancestors “were taking excursions into Europe” at that time, said Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program.
But there is not yet evidence that the earliest arrivals persisted there long, he said. “They may get to a new location and then die out,” said Potts, who had no role in the study.
The partial skull bears many similarities to Homo erectus, but there are also some anatomical differences, said study co-author Rosa Huguet, an archaeologist at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in Tarragona, Spain.
Homo erectus arose around 2 million years ago and moved from Africa to regions of Asia and Europe, with the last individuals dying out around 100,000 years ago, said Potts.
It can be challenging to identify which group of early humans a fossil find belongs to if there's only a single fragment versus many bones that show a range of features, said University of Zurich paleoanthropologist Christoph Zollikofer, who was not involved in the study.
The same cave complex in Spain's Atapuerca Mountains where the new fossil was found also previously yielded other significant clues to the ancient human past. Researchers working in the region have also found more recent fossils from Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens.