Musical Evenings, Theatrical Performances and International Operas at Riyadh Front

The Saudi Ministry of Culture is organizing a variety of artistic and musical events and cultural activities, from March 20-31. (Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Ministry of Culture is organizing a variety of artistic and musical events and cultural activities, from March 20-31. (Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Musical Evenings, Theatrical Performances and International Operas at Riyadh Front

The Saudi Ministry of Culture is organizing a variety of artistic and musical events and cultural activities, from March 20-31. (Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Ministry of Culture is organizing a variety of artistic and musical events and cultural activities, from March 20-31. (Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat)

Within an initiative by the Saudi Ministry of Culture, the Riyadh Front is hosting musical evenings and theatrical and opera performances, featuring a number of contemporary artists and unique creative experiences.

The ministry is organizing a variety of artistic and musical events and cultural activities, from March 20-31, under the Quality of Life Program, one of the projects of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The events include a 3-D hologram display of a concert by famed artist Whitney Houston. The show embodies a glimpse of her life and her most important artistic contribution.

The events will also see a performance by one of the world’s greatest opera composers, Jose Carreras, in addition to an Arab Philharmonic Music evening with Syrian artist Rasha Rizk, who will be accompanied by 46 musicians from the International Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Algerian Maestro Amine Koueider, in a hall that can accommodate more than 1,400 people.

Moreover, the culture square of the Riyadh Front will also host two of the most prominent works of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; the “Swan Lake” ballet and “The Nutcracker” that was first performed in 1892.

Visitors will have a unique experience in watching musical and dance performances, including “Inspiration” and “The Jazz Story,” as well as a number of Broadway musicals.

The Riyadh Front events come as part of a program by the Ministry of Culture to enrich the local scene with diverse artistic content, and to enhance the Kingdom’s cultural life.

The initiative aims to present various creative and unique experiences to the widest segment of the public, thus raising the level of creative dialogue and exchange among fans of arts and culture in the Kingdom.



World War II Sergeant Whose Plane Was Shot Down over Germany Honored with Reburial in California

This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
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World War II Sergeant Whose Plane Was Shot Down over Germany Honored with Reburial in California

This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)

After 80 years, a World War II sergeant killed in Germany has returned home to California.

On Thursday, community members lined the roads to honor US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport to a burial home in Riverside, California, The AP reported.

Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany, according to Honoring Our Fallen, an organization that provides support to families of fallen military and first responders.

One of the surviving crewmembers saw the plane was on fire, then fell in a steep dive before exploding on the ground. After the crash, German troops buried the remains of one soldier at a local cemetery, while the other six crewmembers, including Banta, were unaccounted for.

Banta was married and had four sisters and a brother. He joined the military because of his older brother Floyd Jack Banta, who searched for Donald Banta his whole life but passed away before he was found.

Donald Banta's niece was present at the planeside honors ceremony at the Ontario airport coordinated by Honoring Our Fallen.

The remains from the plane crash were initially recovered in 1952, but they could not be identified at the time and were buried in Belgium. Banta was accounted for Sept. 26, 2023, following efforts by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency within the US Department of Defense and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.