AlMultaqa Orchestera: The Encounter

The Red Sea Museum will host a live performance by AlMultaqa, a diverse musical ensemble
bringing together musicians and instruments from different traditions. The performance will
reflect the spirit of the Red Sea as a cultural encounter, while grounding the experience in
Saudi identity and the soundscape of Jeddah as a historic port city.
The repertoire will be shaped around the Red Sea as a corridor of journeys, trade, pilgrimage,
coastal communities and shared sounds. The Saudi element will be introduced through
selected Hijazi rhythms, Arabic poetic references and the semsimiya, a traditional instrument
strongly associated with Red Sea coastal music and maritime gatherings. Its presence will
create a direct connection between the performance, the museum’s narrative, and the living
musical heritage of the Red Sea. Set within Bab AlBunt, the performance will create a
dialogue between music and place: a historic gateway that once welcomed arrivals by sea
becomes a living stage for contemporary cultural exchange. The evening will celebrate
diversity while highlighting the Red Sea Museum’s role in preserving, presenting and
reimagining the region’s tangible and intangible heritage.

Note:
The musical program should be developed around the theme of Journeys, Encounters and the
Red Sea, with a clear Saudi layer woven into the performance through Hijazi musical
references, local rhythms, Arabic poetry or a Saudi opening piece.

Materials and Preparation:
Stage, seating (VIP, press, general), LED candle setup, piano or keyboard, cello or small
chamber ensemble, music stands, sound system, lighting, hospitality, printed program,
visitor flow management, photography and videography coverage.