This is an in person only event in the British Library Pigott Theatre.  Tickets are free but booking is required. 
 
Join us for a multidisciplinary live performance that brings to life Sara Hamdy's groundbreaking research into the history of electronic music and experimental sound in Egypt, with a particular focus on the legacy of Egyptian-American composer Halim El-Dabh. 

The performance draws on rare and previously underexplored British Library recordings of the 1932 Cairo Congress of Arabic Music to explore the intersections of Egyptian folk culture, modernism, and the early pioneers of electronic music.

It sheds light on the soundscapes of post-Ottoman and experimental music that followed 1932 and brings Halim El-Dabh’s sonic innovations into dialogue with contemporary performers - while highlighting the importance of archival materials in preserving Egypt’s sound heritage. 

The venue doors and bar will open at 18:00 and the Theatre at 18:45, with the performance starting at 19:00. Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event.

This event is part of the Beyond 1932 Residency series at King’s College London and organised by Dr Rim Irscheid. The Beyond 1932 project is funded by the EPSRC via the UKRI/EC HE Guarantee ERC scheme (funder Award Reference: EP/X022749/1).
 
Halim El-Dabh (1921–2017) was an Egyptian-American composer and ethnomusicologist, whose innovations in electronic music made him one of the early pioneers of musique concrète. His 1944 composition The Expression of Zaar was one of the first works to be recorded on a wire recorder. El-Dabh’s career spanned both electronic composition and ethnographic study, with a particular focus on Egyptian folk music and mythology. His work continues to inspire contemporary sound artists and researchers, with the British Library holding key recordings that are instrumental in preserving his legacy.

Sara Hamdy is a multidisciplinary artist and sound researcher and the third artist-in-residence in the Music Department at King’s College London. Based in Egypt, her artistic practice includes visuals and sound as well as text and performance. She is the founder and curator of the Sonic Spaces project, a participatory archival space that engages with sound-related artistic and research projects across Egypt and the Arab world. Hamdy graduated in fine arts at the Helwan University in Cairo (2009), and participated in exhibitions and residency programs in Egypt, the Arab region and Europe, such as HWP program at Ashkal Alwan foundation in Lebanon (2013), Mass Alexandria program (2016), Pro-Helvetia residency at PROGR Art Center in Bern (2019), and “Youth-led Cultural and Civic Initiatives” of the All-Around Culture program (2021).

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