Rehearsing in the Grand Opera House in Alexandria

The BAFCO tour to Cairo was thanks to JSPL’s long term friend and surgical colleague Refaat Kamel: it was linked to a Regional Congress of the International College of Surgeons, and coincided with the launch of the Tropical Surgery Textbook edited by Refaat and  JSPL.

BAFCO’s collective knowledge of Ancient Egypt by the time of the tour would have astounded any tour company – all had studied the regional domination of the Pharonic Dynasties until 1000 BC, when eventually they were eroded by Hittite and Persian invasion, and passed into the Greek and Roman Empires. Cairo enabled the group to explore these features at the Cairo Museum, the Pyramids and a visit to Refaat’s country residence in Sakara. The trip to Alexandria was accompanied by a visit to the modern redevelopment of the greatest museum of the ancient world, now extending many floors below sea level…

The musical aspect of the tour comprised performances of the Haydn Creation in Cairo and Alexandria Opera Houses and a mixed orchestral and choral  programme, that included the Eroica, in the Anglican Cathedral. We are greatful to the British Ambassador for his wonderful support on all aspects of the visit, and to Bishop Mouneer for his enthusiastic hospitality.