(June 8, 2016) Maestro Davide Crescenzi will direct the Cairo Opera Orchestra on June 24 for the Hymn to New Suez Canal (inaugurated last August) composed of Saverio Santoni: “Nelle acque del canale” (in the waters of the channel) and other music. The event is organized by the Italian Cultural Institute in collaboration with the Cairo Opera House. Davide Crescenzi is currently the artistic director of the Cairo Theatre, began the first studies at the Conservatory of Fermo, receiving his diploma in Band Instrumentation, Choral Music and Choral Conducting at “G. Rossini” in Pesaro. For several years he was Alessio Vlad’s assistant and collaborator and a student of Gustav Khunn with whom he attended the courses “The Musical Afternoons” in Milan from 1993 to 1996. His career, now ranging over twenty years, led him to try his hand at first as an accompanying pianist and assistant conductor in various theaters, opera festivals. He is currently a conductor and choirmaster in Italy and abroad. Among his most significant commitments is his collaboration with the Cairo Opera House, as a guest conducter, where he directed “The Barber of Seville”, “Opportunity makes the thief”, “The Bill of Marriage”, and “Mr. Bruschino” by Gioacchino Rossini, “The Elixir of Love” by Gaetano Donizetti, “Tosca” by Puccini and “A masked ball” by Giuseppe Verdi between 1998 and 2003. Saverio Santoni was born in Jesi (AN) in 1990 and graduated with honours in organ and organ composition in 2010 honors, from the “G. Rossini ” Conservatory in Pesaro, under the guidance of prof. A. Freddini. He then graduated in composition (Level 1), with highest honors, under the guidance of prof. L. Lugli. As a member of the Organ Player Association of Vallesina (since 2010) he has collaborated in a research and transcription project of Fabio and Alessandro Costantini’s music (two composers from the Marche who belonged to the Roman school of polyphony of the 17th century), the results of which were recently published. He was two-time winner of the ”International Antonin Dvorak Composition Competition”prize at in Prague (2013 Junior category, 2014 Senior category), taking home on both occasions, three special jury awards for the presented compositions. (Red)