FLORENCE KASUMBA
The Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi created in 1870, AIDA, an opera in four acts, after accepting a request from the Egyptian Viceroy, Ismail Pascià. The opera was intended to be performed during the grandiose inauguration ceremony of the Suez Canal. The core story of the opera is about the love between a Nubian slave (Aida) and the Egyptian commandant (Radames), who was engaged to Pharaoh’s daughter (Amneris). The Opera premiered in 1871, at the Opera Theater in Cairo. Since then, various versions have been created and performed by different artists. The current interpretation as a musical by Disney’s authors including Sir Tim Rice, the prolific lyricist and the musician/composer, Sir Elton John was successful in the USA. The German translation of this musical premiered on the 5th October 2003 at the Colosseum Theater in Essen, Germany with Florence Kasumba, an African from Uganda in the lead role AIDA. Her performance has been brilliant and applauded by the media.
