Mix of 80s Pop, Original Music Thrills AUC Audience

AUC alum Mohamed Abaza left the audience yearning for more when he and his supporting band covered Michael Jackson’s hits and cult cartoon soundtracks on September 26.

But it was his original compositions such as Preguntas and Coconut, or the final track El Carnaval which resonated with Nour Bakr, a junior working towards her minor in music.

“I absolutely loved the entire set list, especially the musician’s original compositions [because] they were so unique. His original compositions have struck an emotion in me, unlike anything I have ever heard,” she said.

Abaza, an Egyptian guitarist and composer, told The Caravan he focuses on interesting melodic lines and powerful music.

“Maybe they are inspired by movies I watch, people I meet, activities I do, all influence my music in some way,” he added.

His support band is comprised of Ali Abdel Ghani on rhythm guitar, Medhat Mamdouh on percussions, Wael El Mahallawy on bass and Mohamed Abdel Fatah on cello.

For the hour-long concert, Abaza and his band performed a mix of original compositions and covers. The five musicians moved perfectly in sync, keeping the audience in awe of their harmony.

The band covered classics that left the audience nostalgic like Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean and Shunsuke Kikuchi’s UFO Robot Grendizer, each of which earned the band a round of eager applause.

Having graduated from AUC with a degree in accounting and a minor in music, Abaza went on to study guitar at local centers in Cairo and then proceeded to pass the UK-based Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music exam.

Today, he plays the electric guitar, bass and flute and he has also composed musical numbers for several films, spanning different genres.

“It depends on the project; if I am working on modern Flamenco music I will try to put the music in that frame … if I am working on a soundtrack of a movie I will use different instruments to serve the purpose,” Abaza said.

The concert was lively and attracted a large audience but just like most musical events, it was not immune to technical difficulties.

“This kind of stuff never happens during rehearsals, only during the live shows,” Abaza playfully said.

Everything resumed normally within minutes after the technician interfered and the rest of the concert continued smoothly, interrupted only by occasional shouts of encouragement from various audience members.

The concert was organized by Nourhan Hafez, audience services and educational outreach specialist at the department of the arts, who explained that the main and primary purpose of such events is academic.

Music students were required to attend and submit reports about the performance.