Laura Mekhail performs at the Pyramids of Giza

Launched as recently as 2019, the Bocelli-Jameel Scholarship at the Royal College of Music has already begun to bear fruit, not least with 2021 recipient, Laura Mekhail. Hailing from Egypt, the opera student returned home on October 4, 2022, to show what happens when you combine prodigious talent with world-class mentoring, delivering a stunning performance in the shadows of the Great Pyramids of Giza.

The memorable performance came as part of a special meeting of minds that saw key figures from Community Jameel join their counterparts from the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development, another supporter of Mekhail, in celebration of both the Egyptian singer and the two parties’ shared goals of providing opportunities for young talent.

A unique convergence of music and academia, the evening set the tone for more collaborative efforts to come, as both Community Jameel and the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development continue to join forces on wide variety of projects.

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