Cairo Opera House seeks out Ukraine's musicians (05/26/96)

Cairo Opera House seeks out Ukraine's musicians

by Oksana Zakydalsky

CAIRO - Although Cairo is only a three-hour flight from Kyiv, it was a surprise to find out that one-half of the members of the Cairo Opera House Orchestra are musicians from Ukraine. I learned this interesting fact from Mykhailo Voinalovitch, first flute with the Opera House Orchestra, who has been working in Cairo since the orchestra was formed in August 1994.

The Cairo Opera House was built 10 years ago - a gift to Egypt from Japan after the old opera house burned down - but it was only in 1994 that it acquired its own orchestra. In forming the orchestra, Dr. Moustafa Naguib, musical director of the Cairo Opera, turned to Ukraine for musicians.

This was not the first time that Egypt had gone to Eastern Europe for musicians. Beginning in 1984, Poland supplied a large number of musicians for the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, most of whom now have returned home and have been replaced by Bulgarians.

The main reason for this movement of musicians is, of course, economic. Egypt does not have a sufficient number of musicians trained in Western classical music, and the Egyptian government, which funds most cultural initiatives, does not have a lot of money to spend on importing musicians. Musicians of the former Soviet Union are well trained, have a good professional reputation and do not expect high salaries. Mr. Voinalovitch is paid $500 a month and, as the first flute, he receives more than the average orchestra member. He added that for him this is a very good salary.

The Opera House Orchestra has about 60 players, the minimum size for such an orchestra, and is run on a tight budget. There are only three flutes, Mr. Voinalovitch said, "and no back-up for me. There should be four flutes. If I get sick, there is no first flute."

The musicians from Ukraine are in Egypt on individual one-year contracts, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. The contracts were organized through a Kyiv firm, which auditioned the musicians in Kyiv and which received 5 percent of the pay for each contract. The Kyiv firm has since encountered some legal problems, and the musicians have not been paying any commission for the second year of their contracts. Mr. Voinalovitch said he is grateful to the firm for providing this opportunity to work abroad.

Mr. Voinalovitch is married and has a 17-year-old daughter. Both his wife, a pianist, and his daughter, a student of foreign languages, have remained in Kyiv. Why did he come to Cairo? Primarily, he said, for the chance to earn money. But, he added, also for the professional opportunity to learn an opera repertoire. In the last few years in Kyiv Mr. Voinalovitch had played in various ensembles; he said it is typical for a musician in Ukraine today to run around seeking whatever kind of work is available to earn enough money to survive.

Born in Zhytomyr Oblast 43 years ago, Mr. Voinalovitch began his musical education early, enrolling in a music school. Drafted into the army, he spent 1971-1973 in Lviv playing in the army orchestra. After his army service, he bought a flute with money provided by his father and was accepted into the Kyiv Conservatory, where he studied for five years.

After completing his studies, he played in various collectives, several times even touring outside Ukraine. His last permanent position, before coming to Cairo, was with the Operetta Theater Orchestra in Kyiv.

What does he think of the Cairo Opera House Orchestra and of music in Cairo in general? Mr. Voinalovitch said that, in his opinion, orchestras in Ukraine are more professional and musicians in Ukraine are better trained than those in Egypt. Although Egypt is the front-runner in the Arab world as far as support of the arts is concerned, it lacks a musical tradition. For example, the Cario Opera House is rarely full. Only occasionally, when a grand event is held, do musical performances attract wide support and lots of attention.

One such event took place in April 1995, when the opera "Aida" was staged at Karnak Temple in Luxor, and both the Cairo Symphony and the Cairo Opera House Orchestra took part. While I was in Cairo, a gala concert featuring soprano Montserrat Caballe was held at the Cairo Opera House with the Opera House Orchestra, in full strength, accompanying the international star.

The house was sold out. From the front seats of the second balcony we tried to spot the Ukrainian musicians in the orchestra. This wasn't easy, as everyone was similarly dressed in requisite black. Except for a few swarthy complexions and jet black hair, it was hard to tell the Egyptians and the Ukrainians apart. Mr. Voinalovitch was easy to spot as a flute solo led many of the soprano's songs.

According to Mr. Voinalovitch, most of the musicians who have come to play in Cairo intend to go home - some at the end of the two years; others hope to stay longer. The majority of the musicians have brought their families with them. Being alone, Mr. Voinalovitch tries to save as much money as possible to send to his family in Kyiv. In addition to his orchestra job, he has several students for private lessons.

The orchestra does not take up all of Mr. Voinalovitch's time - he had two months off in the summer which he spent back home in Ukraine. The month of Ramadan was coming up and, as Muslim Egyptians would fast during the day, the musical schedule for the month was very light. Mr. Voinalovitch was awaiting a visit by his wife and daughter.

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