ACCLAIMED acts representing diverse cultures and genres from the Arab world and beyond are headlining the 26th Bahrain International Music Festival.
Organised by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities under the Our Year of Archaeology programme, the festival is currently underway at various venues until Saturday.
Tonight, Bahrain’s Rising Stars concert, a three-for-one musical treat, will be staged at the Cultural Hall from 8pm.
It will feature a trio of the island’s best-known jazz bands – the gypsy jazz-influenced Mohammed Rashid Trio, AQ’s smooth blend of jazz, swing and blues-era hits and the unique jazz and Arabic/Turkish folk music fusion by Mohammed Jabbari Band featuring Banah.
Classic music takes the stage tomorrow at the Cultural Hall, with Bahrain Music Band performing from 8pm. Entry is free.
At the same venue on Friday, Portraits in Khaleeji Rhythms and Jazz, from 8pm, will feature Tarek Yamani and his ensemble who will perform music from their latest album Peninsula.
This will be followed on Saturday by Fayy Al Barayeh’s examination of the dialectic of time and space in modern Bahraini songs by Bahraini Writers Association vice-president Dr Rashid Najim. It will take place at Dar Al Muharraq from 7pm and is open to all free.
Plus, taking place daily until October 31 is Nashaz at the Art Centre from 8am to 8pm. It is an exhibition by a group of Bahraini creatives featuring contemporary art installations.
Muharraq’s Dar Al Muharraq and Dar Janna will host traditional fjiri music concerts respectively on Saturday at 8pm, a genre that is considered one of the most famous aspects of Bahrain’s splendid pearling heritage.
In collaboration with the festival, Café Lilou will serve a special menu that unites the different fusions of the various musicians’ countries.
For further information on the events and ticketing, visit www.culture.gov.bh.