Music Commission Holds ‘Masterpieces of Saudi Music’ Concert in New York

Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission held a concert, “Masterpieces of Saudi Music”, at the Metropolitan Opera House Theater at Lincoln Center in New York. (SPA)
Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission held a concert, “Masterpieces of Saudi Music”, at the Metropolitan Opera House Theater at Lincoln Center in New York. (SPA)
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Music Commission Holds ‘Masterpieces of Saudi Music’ Concert in New York

Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission held a concert, “Masterpieces of Saudi Music”, at the Metropolitan Opera House Theater at Lincoln Center in New York. (SPA)
Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission held a concert, “Masterpieces of Saudi Music”, at the Metropolitan Opera House Theater at Lincoln Center in New York. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission held a concert, “Masterpieces of Saudi Music”, at the Metropolitan Opera House Theater at Lincoln Center in New York, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Monday.

The event was held under the patronage of Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan and in partnership with the Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Commission.

The event was attended by Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan, and a large international audience.

The concert featured 80 musicians from the Saudi National Orchestra and Choir.

Kicking off the concert, Saudi Music Commission CEO Paul Pacifico said the Saudi National Orchestra and Choir was the first national cultural asset to be developed by the Commission, part of several initiatives to establish a comprehensive and sustainable music sector in the Kingdom in line with Saudi Vision 2030.

"This national event is of great importance to us, as we look forward to a musical night that will showcase some of Saudi Arabia's rich cultural and musical heritage, a blend of traditional and folk music, as well as dances from across the Kingdom's 13 diverse regions, each with its costumes, customs and musical traditions," he said.

The concert at the Metropolitan Opera House Theater was the third destination of the "Masterpieces of Saudi Music" performance, which started in Paris and moved to Mexico City before arriving in New York.

The concerts aim to familiarize the international community with the richness of Saudi music and performing arts and to boost cultural exchange, which is one of the strategic goals of Vision 2030.



UN Puts 4th Century Gaza Monastery on Endangered Site List

The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
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UN Puts 4th Century Gaza Monastery on Endangered Site List

The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File

The Saint Hilarion complex, one of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East, has been put on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in danger due to the war in Gaza, the body said Friday.
UNESCO said the site, which dates back to the fourth century, had been put on the endangered list at the demand of Palestinian authorities and cited the "imminent threats" it faced.
"It's the only recourse to protect the site from destruction in the current context," Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, told AFP, referring to the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.
In December, the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict decided to grant "provisional enhanced protection" -- the highest level of immunity established by the 1954 Hague Convention -- to the site.
UNESCO had then said it was "already concerned about the state of conservation of sites, before October 7, due to the lack of adequate policies to protect heritage and culture" in Gaza.
The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 39,175 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.