DOHA: The 2,000-seater outdoor theatre in Souq Waqif was filled with adoring fans, both young and old, watching Yemeni artists perform traditional Arab music at the opening night of Sout Al Rayyan Music Festival yesterday.
“We organise the event during Eid every year, and so far we have received warm response from people,” Faisal Al Farhan, multimedia engineer at Sout Al Rayyan radio, told The Peninsula yesterday.
The government-run Souq Waqif-based radio station has been around since 2007, playing folk and traditional Arab music and organising annual music festivals as well as weekly performances at the souq.
“The annual festivals we organise cater to all ages, while the weekly events are mainly for the younger segment,” he said, adding traditional Arab music is appreciated by young and old nowadays.
“In fact the last concert we organised as part of the Spring Festival which featured famous Egyptian singer Amr Diab was highly successful, with the theatre filled to capacity,” he added.
Annual music festivals organised during Eid by Sout Al Rayyan have been much anticipated by people.
“We have to hold these music festivals every year because people have got used to them,” said Al Farhan.
Sout Al Rayyan has its own artists. Two of its talents — Aboud Khawaja and Azazy — will feature at the concert in the coming days.
The artists have come from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Yemen.
Among other singers to take to the stage in the coming concerts are Hatem Al Iraqi, Mansour Al Mohannadi, and Khalid Abdularahman.
The festival is free and runs until Saturday from 9pm to midnight. The Peninsula
