The Nile Project

The Nile Project

Sunday, April 26, 2015 . 7PM
The Nile Project
The Nile Project photo by Matjaz Kacicnik

Event Attributes

Presented By

Presented By: 
Estimated Length: 
2 hours including intermission
Program Notes: 

Established in 2011 by Egyptian ethnomusicologist Mina Girgis and Ethiopian-American singer Meklit Hadero, The Nile Project is founded on the belief that music has the power to change perceptions and inspire action.

The Nile Project’s unique sound comes from intensive musical residencies, gathering the musicians together for weeks to learn from one another and translate that experience into collectively composed new musical works. A powerful pan-Nile percussion section drives this orchestra of Ethiopian masenko and saxophone, Egyptian ney, oud, violin, simsimiya and tanbura, and Ugandan adungu, bass guitar and six vocalists singing in 11 different languages.

Funded in part by a generous gift from Charlie Reiher.
Funded in part by a generous gift from Denny and Frances Gulick.
Sponsored by The Gazette & Gazette-Star.

Preview by the Diamondback

Music will transcend boundaries Sunday in an effort to raise awareness of the cultural and environmental issues surrounding the Nile River basin on a colorful stage populated with instruments as diverse as the people playing them.

— DANIELLE OHLThe Diamondback, April 24, 2015

Preview by the Washingtonian

For Girgis, music can help prevent conflict. And that’s exactly why he’s taking his message across the globe. What started as a concept for African people by African artists has expanded to a traveling troupe advocating for the Nile basin and its water issues. Through performances and panels, Girgis and his group of musicians demonstrate how music can start a dialogue about culture.

— EMMA FOHRINGER MERCHANTThe Washingtonian, April 22, 2015

Preview by the Washington Post

Girgis says he thinks musical collaboration can build trust and create “space for understanding, for empathy and [for] the political will” that might allow countries to collaborate on environmental and other challenges.

— CELIA WRENThe Washington Post, April 17, 2015

Preview by the Washington Informer

Founded on the belief that music can change perceptions and inspire action, The Nile Project brings together 27 musicians from the 11 different countries along the Nile to encourage dialogue about sustainability in the Nile basin.

— STACY M. BROWNThe Washington Informer, April 15, 2015

Review by the UMD Writers' Bloc

The communion of the artists was magical to watch. Each one responded to the other, such as when Steven Sogo, a World Bank musical ambassador, mimicked Nzayisenga’s graceful movements during a song, the two artists grinning at one another.

— KARLA CASIQUEUMD Writers' Bloc, April 27, 2015