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Cairo's Golden Age
Cairo's Golden Age

Cairo’s Golden Age

Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra, Abir el Abed + Youssef Jrifi
Fri 15 May 2026 20:15 - 21:45
Fri 15 May 2026
20:15 - 21:45
  • Fri 15 May 2026
    20:15 - 21:45
    Grote Zaal
    Tickets

Credits

Amsterdams Andalusisch Orkest
Abir el Abed vocals
Youssef Jrifi vocals

Elias El Houssaini violin, musical director
Jaafar Lougmani viola
Hannelore de Vuyst violin
Mohamed Al Mokhlis violin
Ahmed Khaili percussion
Modar Salama percussion
Youssef Chair percussion

Haytham Safia oud
Marianne Noordink ney, flute
Ahmed El Maai qanun
Lea Besançon cello
Bas Gakeer electric guitar
Daniel van Huffelen double bass
Anas Soudfa keyboards

A musical journey to the golden age of Cairo

The Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra transports you to Cairo’s golden era, a period in which the city blossomed into the cultural and artistic centre of the Arabic world. This vibrant period, spanning from the 1930s to the 1970s, was characterized by an unparalleled growth in film and music. The soloists are Abir el Abed and Youssef Jrifi.

Moroccan singer Abir el Abed is a major name in the Arab music world, partly due to her participation in Arabs Got Talent. Youssef Jrifi is a Moroccan singer and performer, best known for his renditions of Arab music from the 1950s to the 1970s. Both artists have frequently performed on stage with the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra. 

After the explosive growth of cities such as Casablanca, Baghdad, and Cairo, three decades followed that are considered the ‘golden age’ of Arabic film and music. Composers such as Baligh Hamdi, Zakariyyā Aḥmad, Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Riad Al Sunbati, played a vital role, by writing hit songs for icons like Umm Kulthum, Abdel Halim Hafez and Warda Al-Jazairia. Thanks to Radio Cairo, their songs reached millions of listeners throughout the Arabic world.

Attention! Originally, we announced that the program A Tribute to Farid al-Atrash would take place tonight, but that will be held on April 5, 2026. Ticket buyers have received information about this.

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Abir el Abed
Abir el Abed
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Cairo's Golden Age
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Youssef Jrifi (photo Mees Borst)
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Amsterdams Andalusisch Orkest (photo Marieke Wijntjes)
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Context

Playlist: To be heard soon at Muziekgebouw

We help you choose between our concerts! Listen to our playlist as a taster of what can be heard live at our venue.
News

Discover the festive riches of Farid al-Atrash

The Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra presents the “Cairo's Golden Age” series in season 25-26. The last of these three concerts is a program centered around Farid al-Atrash (May 15, 2026).
Articles

Related themes

Cairo's Golden Age 25/26

The rich and dynamic world of Arabic music

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