Dina El Wedidi at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts

A sophisticated and compelling musical innovator of Egyptian heritage and contemporary identity. Dina El Wedidi channels the heritage and contemporary identity of Cairo to deliver “transcendent performances.” (Al-Ahram) A sophisticated musical innovator, her richly ornamented and detailed compositions, generous arrangements, bell-clear voice, and charismatic stage presence have established her as a globalcultural force.“Dina is a huge talent. Her voice is captivating and irresistible. There is a fierce personal-political thread through her music that opens a space for a future otherwise unable to be born.” (Peter Sellars)

With sophisticated musical hybridity, “Elwedidi’s songs reflect different temperaments and styles, from jazz to folk and underground rock, a combination of instruments and sounds that can’t be labeled under one category. She is shaping a new musical genre that has emerged in the wake of the Tahrir Square Revolution.” (Euro News)

El Wedidi will be performing as part of Center Stage. For its fourth edition, Center Stage – a cultural exchange program initiated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and produced by the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) – will bring five contemporary music and theater ensembles from Egypt and Ukraine to tour in the United States in September-November 2018. During independent month-long tours Dina El Wedidi (Egypt), Kurbasy (Ukraine), Mohamed Abozekry and Karkadé (Egypt), Teatr-Pralnia with CCA Dakh (Ukraine), and Youssra El Hawary (Egypt) will present more than 50 performances and hundreds of residency activities, classroom visits, workshops, artist-to-artist exchange, and community gatherings.