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Rock, pop and rhythm & blues icon Steve Winwood will be taking to the stage in the kingdom next month as part of the annual Spring of Culture Festival.
The two-time Grammy Award-winning singer and musician, who was a a key member of The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith and Go, will be entertaining fans at Bahrain Bay on March 28 with hit songs such as Valerie, Higher Love and Roll With It.
The veteran Brit, ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as amongst its 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, is one of many international and regional performers and companies set to appear this coming season.
Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, president of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA), revealed the festival’s line-up during a press conference held at the Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifiya School in Muharraq, a site celebrating its centenary.
Shaikha Mai told GulfWeekly: “Bahrain is a destination for big names.”
The Spring of Culture initiative started 14 years ago and continues to grow in popularity in cooperation between the Culture Authority, the Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Centre for Culture and Research (SECCR). It also receives support from Albareh Art Gallery and La Fontaine Centre for Contemporary Art.
“I want people to especially enjoy the first event, Scheherazade which is a Russian ballet inspired by the Tales of 1,001 Nights, at the Bahrain National Theatre on February 25, because it’s a special day – Arab Tourism Day,” Shaikha Mai added.
Other acts on the schedule include American hit maker Jason Derulo, Arabic singers Majid Al Muhandis and Sherine Abdel-Wahab, Bahraini icon Khalid Al Shaikh and Italian sounds by the Hathor Plectrum Quartet and tenor Aldo Gallone. There will also be exhibitions, lectures and educational tours.
Organisers say the Spring of Culture Festival will cater to various tastes, interests and age groups and underscore the kingdom’s position as a leading regional and global cultural hub.
The latest season of the festival comes as part of BACA’s year-long celebrations of Bahrain’s achievements under the slogan ‘From Jubilee to Another’ - A Year of Celebrations.
The festival, which runs for more than two months, is a continuation of the nation’s journey of cultural achievements and meeting of civilisations, with a full-fledged and diverse schedule of literary, musical, artistic and theatrical activities.
Shaikha Mai was joined at the conference by EDB CEO Khalid Al-Rumaihi, as well as several diplomats and ambassadors, festival sponsors, cultural personalities and members of the media.
Expressing his appreciation for the efforts of the public and private sector supporters, Khalid said: “The rise in sponsorship of the Spring of Culture festival year after year reflects the keenness of all stakeholders to establish Bahrain as a regional and global cultural centre.
“Over its past editions, the two-month festival has consolidated its reputation as an important cultural gathering that brings events and personalities from all over the world to Bahrain and enriches the local cultural movement.”
He stressed that EDB’s continued support for the festival aligns with the board’s strategic plans to diversify Bahrain’s economy and stimulate its non-oil sectors.
He added that the country is working relentlessly to leverage its competitive advantages, including its cultural heritage, to become a favourite destination for foreign tourists, boost the contribution of tourism to its GDP, and increase its ability to attract foreign direct investments and create jobs.
Gold Sponsors of the 2019 Spring of Culture include GFH Financial Group, National Bank of Bahrain, Tamkeen and Batelco, while Silver Sponsors include ALBA, Bahrain Airport Company, Bahrain Duty Free, Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait, and Huawei, and supported by Gulf Air.
Also, special thanks were passed on to the embassies of Italy, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany and Egypt who are taking part in the programme.
As is in every year, the Spring of Cultural programme of activities that will be hosted by a broad range of local cultural, historical and architectural landmarks will commence on Arab Tourism Day, as highlighted earlier, an occasion which was adopted when Manama was the Capital of Arab Tourism in 2013 to mark the birthday of the famed Arab traveller Ibn Battuta.
Exhibitions
This year’s festival season features numerous art exhibitions, starting with the 45th Bahrain Fine Arts Exhibition which takes place at the Arena Tent at the Ritz Carlton Bahrain Hotel in Manama and highlights the works of various Bahraini and expat artists in the kingdom until March 30. The Bahrain National Museum, meanwhile, will host three exhibitions: Design Crossroads: The Jewellery of Saudi Arabia, the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Bahraini Diplomacy and the Bahrain National Museum: A 30th Anniversary Retrospective which will conclude on April 3 and 13 and May 15, respectively.
The Memory of the Place – Bin Matar House will host the exhibition CERN in Bahrain, a showcase that runs until May 8 of the wonderful world of physics and secrets of the universe.
From Tuesday to March 9, Albareh Art Gallery will host the fine arts exhibition Nostalgia highlighting the glass creations of artist Jamal Al-Yousif that reflect the ‘subconscious warmth that one feels from nostalgia’.
Pathways by the artist Rasmi Al-Khafaji, from March 12 – 31, features monochromatic water colours.
From March 3-30, The Art Centre will host Noor, an exhibition by artist Marwa Rashid Al Khalifa that takes the public on a journey of her paintings, photography and light installations.
The La Fontaine Centre presents the Turkish exhibition Spark! from March 16-April 15 which displays the works of Ali Abayoglu, an artist who transforms objects into charming and vibrant artworks using mundane materials.
The Bahrain National Theatre will host an exhibition of its own from March 7 – May 5 that allows audiences to witness the beauty of traditional Korean costume known as the Hanbok.
Studio 244, a joint initiative between the Supreme Council for the Environment and BACA, will transform Arad Bay Protected Area and Park into an open space for multiple activities.
Music, song and shows
After the Russian ballet Scheherazade, the Bahrain National Theatre will also host a musical evening Alongside You honouring the journey of Bahraini icon Khalid Al Shaikh, featuring the Bahrain Music Band and led by maestro Khalifa Zaiman, as well as a performance of Don Giovanni and the music of maestro Rene Jacobs performed by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.
Bahraini folk music will be featured from February 28 when the Mohammed Bin Fares Hall for Fan Al-Sout in Muharraq will host the Mohammed Bin Fares Band in weekly evening concerts every Thursday.
Dar Al-Riffa will also highlight the area’s local heritage on March 2, 16, 30 and April 13 and 27, while Dar Al-Muharraq will celebrate the various chants of the unique fjiri musical genre on March 9 and 23 and April 6 and 20.
The Cultural Hall will also host a multicultural series of live performances, including a taste of quintessential Italian sounds by the Hathor Plectrum Quartet and tenor Aldo Gallone on March 14, while the Miyabi Ensemble showcases Japan’s signature Taiko drums and other traditional instruments such as the shinobue in two concerts on March 3 and 4. All performances will take place at 8pm.
In addition, the venue will host a journey through the traditions of Azeri, Kurdish, Syrian and Armenian music by the Haidouti Orkestar on March 7. Then on March 14, Germany’s Arcis Saxophon Quartet pays tribute to the great masters of music, followed by Ahmed Effat will pay homage to Abdel Halim Hafez on 21 March accompanied by the Arabic Music Ensemble.
The Cultural Hall concert series continues with American pianist Steven Lin on March 22 and his virtuoso performance of classic works of masters such as Beethoven, Liszt and Schumann.
On March 29, Scott Booth presents his unique style of complex rhythms on the six-string guitar. Finally, on April 2, audience will be treated to an audio-visual feast by Korean fusion band QUEEN’s unique blend of traditional and contemporary elements.
At the SECCR, young Azerbaijani artist Ghochag Askarov will perform alongside three musicians a showcase of Azerbaijan’s Sufi music, while artist Macadi Nahhas will sing select classics that highlight Arab and Oriental music heritage.
The festival also features a series of concerts organised by the EDB that will be held at purpose-built open air theatre in Bahrain Bay headlined by several Bahraini, Arab and international artists.
The line-up includes Majid Al Muhandis and Sherine Abdel-Wahab on March 14, Playing for Change Band concert on March 16, Mr Adam performed by Almaty Symphony Orchestra on both March 22 and 23, Steve Winwood, as highlighted earlier on March 28 and, finally, SARAT LIVE performed by hip-hop Khaleeji duo Daffy and Flipperachi, featuring DJ Outlaw and Saudi rapper Lil Eazy on April 12.
The Bahrain Fort also has a share in this year’s festival by hosting an interactive sound and light display every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday to shed light on the history of ancient site from the Dilmun civilisation to today.
La Fontaine Centre will also host a music and dance show of its own entitled Tango Dancing on March 15.
Literary, intellectual, and cultural lectures
The Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Centre for Culture and Research will lead numerous literary and intellectual events of the festival such as lectures by Jihad Al-Zein on the transformations of Arab political culture on February 26 and Algerian TV host Fadilah Farouk highlighting women’s issues on April 15.
At Bab Al-Bahrain, BACA will continue its weekly Thursday events at 5pm, staging a variety of family-friendly activities.
On March 16, a walkathon will explore the landmarks along the Pearling Path, Bahrain’s second UNESCO World Heritage Site, followed by a tour on April 20 of long-used fisheries locations in which participants will learn how to make traditional traps from readily available natural materials around the Bahrain Fort.
Street theatre shows
Free shows will be performed by international entertainers in different venues around the kingdom. The calendar includes the Hot Potato Band from Australia, Sulky M1 from the Netherlands and The Great Wolynski from Argentina.
Full details of these workshops and all festival events are available on the festival
For more details, visit www.springofculture.org.
