RIYADH — Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan has appointed renowned Saudi musician Jihad Al-Khalidi as CEO of the newly created Saudi Music Authority. Her appointment comes as a first step to start the functioning of the authority and discharging of its responsibilities toward developing the Saudi music sector in all its directions, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Sunday Al-Khalidi has vast experience in the field of music spanning over 33 years. She obtained Bachelor's degree in the theory of music and performing violin from the National Higher Institute of Music or Conservatoire in Cairo. She had worked as a violinist being part of the Egyptian Orchestra for eight years, in addition to her administrative knowledge and experience. Through the creation of the Music Authority, the Ministry of Culture seeks to regulate and develop the music sector in the Kingdom as well as to support and encourage musicians and musical performers. The authority will work with the concerned authorities to support the protection of intellectual property rights in areas related to music, in addition to organizing training courses and approving professional programs, and encouraging activists in the field for producing and developing musical content. The Music Authority is one of the 11 new bodies formed by the Ministry of Culture to manage and develop various branches of the Saudi cultural sector following a Cabinet decision in this regard earlier this month. This is part of the ministry's vision and orientation document announced in March 2019. Minister of Culture Prince Badr had recently appointed Dr. Stefano Carboni as CEO of the Saudi Museum Authority, which has been assigned to regulate and develop the museum sector in the Kingdom.
