The Farouk Hosny Foundation for Culture and Arts announces the unanimous approval of its Board of Trustees on the nomination of the renowned Egyptian Composer, Hani Shenouda, for the Grand Merit Award for the year 2023, with a value of LE.100,000.
A Photo of Minister Artist Farouk Hosny and Artist Hani Shenouda
Distinguished Writer Mohamed Salmawy, Secretary General of the Grand Merit Award and a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, stated that the Grand Merit Award, unlike the Foundation’s other awards, is only granted to eminent Egyptian figures in honor of their notable achievements in the fields of arts or literature while the other awards are presented to promising young artists in various creative fields to nurture their talents and encourage them to pursue their artistic careers.
The Grand Merit Award is presented to leading cultural figures for their overall notable achievements, and at the same time to set an example for emerging artists to follow. Just as the Awards foster young talents in various creative fields, Farouk Hosny Foundation believes that the Grand Merit Award should not be limited to one cultural discipline, yet it must cover all creative intellectual, artistic, and literary disciplines. In its first round last year, the Grand Merit Award was granted to Fine Artist George Bahgoury.
Therefore, the Award’s General Secretariat decided that the Grand Merit Award in its second round this year should be granted Composer Hani Shenouda, one of the remarkable pioneers of modern Arabic music, who was not honored as he should have been throughout his eighty years lifetime.
Hani Shenouda started his musical career in the 1960s, when he graduated from the Faculty of Music in 1966, and then he joined the Higher Institute of Music “Conservatoire”. After graduation, he became an expert in the arts of music composition and orchestration. Hani Shenouda participated in forming some youth music bands, and then he formed his own ensemble “The Egyptians’ (Al Massrieen), which had a great impact on the evolution of Egyptian pop music in the 1980s.
Shenouda also discovered some of the most prominent superstars at present, to name a few: the well-known singer Mohamed Mounir, to whom Shenouda composed some of his most famous songs. He also discovered mega-star Amr Diab and convinced him to move to Cairo after joining him at one of the ‘The Egyptians’ ensemble’s concerts in the city of Port Said.
He also composed some of the most popular songs for great singers, such as Nagat al-Saghira and Fayza Ahmed. Thus, his soundtracks and music are considered the beginning of a new era in the history of Arabic music for both singers. It is noteworthy that Shenouda composed many distinctive soundtracks and music for famous Egyptian movies and drama series.
Accordingly, the 2023 Grand Merit Award is granted to Composer Hani Shenouda.
Shenouda will be honored at the Awards Ceremony of the Foundation’s Fourth Round of the Art Awards for the Year 2023 on Tuesday, March 7, at El-Gezira Arts Center in Zamalek.