Saber Al Rebai, the legendary Tunisian singer, arrived in Sharjah yesterday for his performance at the 2016 Sharjah World Music Festival (SWMF) taking place from January 7-12. Al Rebai will perform on Thursday, January 7 at 9:00 pm at Al Majaz Amphitheatre. Musician and Manager of the Sharjah World Music Festival, Furat Qaddouri and Khalid Ibrahim Al Qaseer, Coordinator General of the festival received the celebrated singer, along with other members of the SWMF organising team. Al Rebai said he was delighted to be visiting Sharjah for the first time, which, he said, is a city where the arts, culture and people come together to create an atmosphere of understanding, love and stability.He said, “I am delighted about being part of the third edition of SWMF. I will perform both new and old songs for audiences in Sharjah to express my love for them and also my happiness at being a part of this festival. I look forward to performing at Al Majaz Amphitheatre, which is the region’s cultural art and architectural icon. I hope that everyone, those who are already lovers of traditional Arab music and those who are new to it, will enjoy my concert and the melodies I will sing for them.”
Tickets for Saber Al Rebai's performance are available at Al Qasba’s Customer Service Desk, Al Majaz Amphitheatre, Al Majaz Waterfront and at www.ticketmaster.ae. Tickets are priced between AED200 - AED800. The renowned artist is the first of his generation to have performed at the prestigious Olympia in Paris, where the world’s most famous and successful musicians have appeared. Only three other Arab musicians have ever performed at Olympia, Abd El Halim Hafez, Umm Kolthoum, and Warda. Al Rebai has released 15 albums, most notably "Hayyarouni", "Sidi Mansour", “Share' El Gharam", "Atahada El Alam", and "Waheshni Giddan". He’s received many accolades for his work including "The Gold Microphone" in 1997 at the Cairo Festivals for his song "Sarkha", he was given the "Best Arab Singer” award in Lebanon in 2004 for his album "Atahada El Alam", and also for his album "Ajmal Nisaa El Dounia". In addition, he won the title of the Best Arab Singer in Murex D'or 2012 for his album, “Saber”, and he was also awarded the Best Arab Singer at the Beirut International Awards Festivals. An Egyptian magazine, Shashati, even dubbed him the Prince of Arabic Tarab.
The six-day music festival is being organised by Furat Qaddouri Music Centre, and sponsored by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq). The festival was launched in Al Qasba in 2014 and due to its great success, the second edition was expanded to include five venues; Al Majaz Amphitheatre, Al Majaz Waterfront, Al Qasba, the Heart of Sharjah and The Flag Island.Through this festival, Furat Qaddouri Music Centre aims to raise the artistic and cultural profile of Sharjah and the UAE in the world. It is the first of its kind in the emirate, and introduces the local community to music from other parts of the world. The Centre also aims to add to the emirate’s rich record of cultural, artistic and tourist achievements by hosting major art, cultural and heritage festivals throughout the year.