Riyadh, August 28, 2023, The first "Kingdom's Melody Festival" will be held by the Ministry of Culture from September 28 to September 30, 2023, to emphasize the cultural significance of songs to the neighborhood and the history of songwriting in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With the help of the Quality of Life Program, one of the Saudi Vision 2030 programs, the festival will be staged at the Jeddah Superdome. In its inaugural year, the festival will pay tribute to a number of Saudi composers, including Omar Kadars, Fawzi Mahsoun, Saleh Al-Shehri, Mohammed Shafiq, Tariq Abdul Hakim, Talal Bagher, and Abdel Rabb Idris, who have enhanced the country's musical landscape throughout the years. Visitors to the festival will go on an informative tour of top Saudi musicians. Images of composers and singers will be displayed on the venue's entry walls, emphasizing the close relationship between them. Paper in the form of musical notes holding melodies is used to decorate the VIP section. The most well-known songs will be those that portray the festival's aesthetic theme and have the composers' names written next to them. The festival will feature two activities: "Send Love," where attendees can send greetings to and show their admiration for their favorite composers; and "Shelves of Melodies," where songs by all composers will be displayed on shelves placed along the hallways leading to the theater, transporting attendees on an emotional journey full of memories associated with these timeless works.
At the festival, a display will highlight significant Saudi composers over the years and historical occasions that altered Saudi music. Three subjects will be covered in the exhibition: the history of Saudi composers, the most well-known Saudi songs from the 1960s to the 2000s, and early recordings of Saudi music. At the three-day event, notable Arab vocalists will perform concerts every night, and each concert will be preceded by a piece presenting the composer. Mohammed Abdu, a vocalist, will play songs written by Omar Kadars and Abdel Rabb Idris on the opening night. Abdulmajeed Abdullah, a vocalist, will play songs by Fawzi Mahsoun and Saleh Al-Shehri on the second night. The last night will feature performances by Abadi Al-Johar, Dalia Mubarak, and Talal Salama. Talal Bagher, Tariq Abdul Hakim, and Mohammed Shafiq are among the composers of the songs. This festival is a component of the Ministry of Culture's initiatives to honor Saudi music and its creators and to educate the next generation about the heritage of this distinctive music.