“Tarab” Brings Together Talents from Egyptian Universities and Institutes on a Single Stage. 

Competitions in Group and Solo Singing and Solo Instrumental Performance. 

Dr. Ashraf Hanigel: The festival is an opportunity to discover talent and exchange experiences among university students. 

Dr. Karim Hammam: “Tarab” is a space for discovering the person before discovering their talent. 

A specialized judging panel to evaluate talent according to artistic criteria 

Under the artistic patronage of Maestro Salim Sahab… five days of artistic competitions leading up to the closing ceremony and the crowning of the winners. 

The second season of the “Tarab” Music and Singing Festival for Egyptian universities and institutes, hosted by Suez University, has kicked off and will continue till August 30, with the participation of music and choir teams from Egyptian universities and institutes composed of non-music majors. This artistic initiative aims to discover student talent and hone their skills, while providing youth with the opportunity to express their creativity through singing, instrumental performance, and teamwork. 

The festival’s events are held under the auspices of Dr. Abdelaziz Qanswa, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Acting Minister of Culture, and under the supervision of Dr. Ashraf Hnijal, SU President, and Dr. Karim Hammam, Advisor to the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for Student Activities and Director of the Institute for Leadership Development, with artistic guidance from Maestro Salim Sahab, thereby enriching the participants’ artistic experience and allowing them to benefit from the expertise of specialists in music and singing. 

Now in its second season, the “Tarab” Festival serves as a platform that brings together student talent from various Egyptian universities and institutes, offering students a genuine opportunity to discover and develop their abilities, learn from their peers’ experiences, and to compete in an artistic atmosphere that encourages creativity, dedication, and teamwork. This reflects the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research’s commitment to student activities as a key pathway for building students’ character and developing their talents and abilities.   

The festival’s competitions include group singing, solo singing, and solo instrumental performances, in accordance with specific rules and standards that ensure fair competition and the quality of performances; the regulations require each university to participate in group singing with two pieces, one from the folk repertoire and the other a piece of the students’ own choosing, as well as to enter two students in solo singing and two students in solo instrumental performance. 

Dr. Ashraf Hnijal, SU President, emphasized that the university welcomes students from various Egyptian universities and institutes and is committed to providing a suitable environment that allows students to benefit from the artistic and cultural events accompanying the festival. He noted that these gatherings represent an important opportunity for students to exchange experiences and insights, discover and refine artistic talents, and strengthen communication and mutual understanding among youth at Egyptian universities.   

For his part, Dr. Karim Hammam, Advisor to the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for Student Activities and Director of the Institute for Leadership Development, emphasized that the “Tarab” Festival provides a space for discovering student talent and developing their abilities, explaining that every voice on stage and every melody performed by the students reflects the fruits of passion, training, and determination, and that students coming together in artistic groups embodies the value of teamwork, a value that the Ministry, the Student Activities Sector, and the Institute for Leadership Development are committed to instilling in students at Egyptian universities and institutes. 

Dr. Karim Hammam added that the festival embodies the vision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in supporting student activities as a means of personal development, discovering students’ potential, and refining their character. He emphasized that providing students with genuine platforms to compete and express their talents gives them experiences that extend beyond the competition itself, and contributes to building confidence, fostering a sense of responsibility, promoting teamwork, and transforming passion into tangible achievements. 

The festival features a judging panel of music professors and specialists to evaluate participating talents based on specialized artistic criteria. The panel includes Dr. Montaser Al-Qalli, professor of Arabic music and chair of the Department of Music Education at the Faculty of Specific Education, Assiut University; Dr. Dalia Hussein Fahmy, professor of Arabic music and dean of the Faculty of Specific Education at Ain Shams University; Dr. Majid Ahmed Mohamed Sorour, professor at the Higher Institute of Arabic Music; and Dr. Reham Ahmed Ehab, professor and chair of the Department of Musicology at the Faculty of Specific Education at Zagazig University.   

The “Tarab” Festival will continue for five days, featuring music and singing competitions as well as accompanying artistic events, culminating in a closing ceremony that will celebrate the participating talents and groups and honor the winners, following a journey of competition, training, interaction, and the exchange of experiences among youth from Egyptian universities and institutes.