For Marianna Musotto, playing Verdi’s "Aida" at the World Youth Forum in November was a joint homage to her homeland, Italy, and her host country, Egypt.

Bringing in foreign musicians such as the young Italian trumpeter who joined in September is one of several initiatives by the Cairo Opera House to modernize its image. The goal is to lure a diverse audience and revive some of its old glory from the 1950s and '60s.

The Opera House, which houses the Symphony Orchestra and the State Ballet, is reaching out to various sectors of society, particularly young people. As part of these efforts, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra was invited to play at the World Youth Forum, a prestigious international conference in Sharm el-Sheikh that took place Nov. 4-10.

The orchestra’s choice to play "Aida," Italian composer Guiseppe Verdi’s four-act opera that takes place in ancient Egypt, at the opening of the forum was deliberate and nostalgic. The original plan for the opera house's grand opening in 1869 was to stage "Aida," but the Franco-Prussian War had made the transportation of sets and costumes from Paris impossible and the opera opened its doors with "Rigoletto" instead. "Aida" had its world premiere at the Cairo Opera House in 1871, two years later.