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Naseer Shamma to Hold First Oud Orchestra Concert in Saudi Arabia

Naseer Shamma. (AFP)
Naseer Shamma. (AFP)
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Naseer Shamma to Hold First Oud Orchestra Concert in Saudi Arabia

Naseer Shamma. (AFP)
Naseer Shamma. (AFP)

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran is set to host Iraqi oud player Naseer Shamma on December 20 to 22.

For the first time in Saudi Arabia, Shamma will lead the 35-member "Oud Orchestra" in three concerts composed by him at the "Ithra" theater.

Shamma said: "Oud is not only a musical instrument. It represents a great cultural heritage, and the concerts that I will lead in Saudi Arabia are more than just musical performance. They are a cultural journey extending from the past to the present."

He described playing in Saudi Arabia for the first time is a great achievement.

"I look forward to share my music passion with the audience at the Ithra theater. This musical program is a life… a revived soul… and a world that interacts with music to please the audience and me."

Shamma established the first Arab Oud House in both Cairo and Abu Dhabi.

He studied the instrument and developed it, creating an oud with eight strings, inspired by Al-Farabi's manuscripts on music and the Arabic instrument.

He also created methods to help children and people with special needs play oud and enjoy it with one hand.

He holds many titles like the Ambassador of the East from the German Ministry of Cultural, and received the Artistic Excellence Award from the Arab Thought Foundation.

He established many projects, such as the "Eastern Orchestra," which gathered more than 75 musicians from the Far and the Near East, and "Our Motherland", aimed at supporting peace.

Shamma performed in various world-renowned venues such as the Olympia Theater in Paris, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, ​​and in large cities like Sharjah and Abu Dhabi in in the Middle East.

He was also appointed as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

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Smoke From Canadian Fires Reaches Europe, Says EU Climate Monitor

This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)
This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)
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Smoke From Canadian Fires Reaches Europe, Says EU Climate Monitor

This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)
This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)

Heavy smoke from intense wildfires in Canada has reached northwestern Europe, the European Union's climate monitoring service said on Tuesday.

The huge plumes are at very high altitude and do not pose an immediate health risk, it said in a statement.

"Smoke originating from the wildfires in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan has been transported across the Atlantic," the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) said.

Satellites tracked the smoke in mid-May, with some plumes reaching as far east as Greece and the eastern Mediterranean.

"A second, much larger, smoke plume crossed the Atlantic during the last week of May, reaching northwestern parts of Europe on June 1," CAMS said.

Additional plumes are expected to shade the continent in the coming days.

Wildfire smoke is comprised of gaseous pollutants such as carbon monoxide, along with water vapor and particle pollution, which can be particularly hazardous to health.

A high concentration of carbon monoxide is expected to pass over northwestern France, including the Paris Basin, on Tuesday.

The high-altitude smoke headed for Europe is not expected to have a significant impact on surface air quality, but is likely to result in hazy skies and reddish-orange sunsets.

Manitoba in central Canada is experiencing its worst start to the fire season in years due to drought, and Saskatchewan to the west declared a state of emergency at the end of May, evacuating thousands of residents.

"Central regions of Canada have experienced a very intense few weeks in terms of wildfire emissions," said Mark Parrington, scientific director at CAMS.

Canadian authorities have forecast a more intense fire season than usual this summer in central and western Canada, due in particular to severe or extreme drought.

Elsewhere, extensive forest fires have been raging in Russia's Far Eastern Federal District since early April, particularly east of Lake Baikal, generating carbon emissions of around 35 million tons, Copernicus reported.