Fatma Said

Last updated
Fatma Said
Born1991 (age 32–33)
Cairo, Egypt
Education Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin (BMus, MMus)
Accademia del Teatro alla Scala
Occupation Opera singer
AgentAskonas Holt
Website fatmasaid.com

Fatma Said (born 1991 in Cairo) [1] is an Egyptian soprano living (as of 2022) in London. [2]

Contents

Life

Fatma Said grew up in Cairo, where she attended the Deutsche Schule der Borromäerinnen Kairo. [3] [4] Her father, Ahmed Hassan Said, was the first president of the Free Egyptians Party founded during the Arab Spring. [3]

Said's early focus was tennis, but following the recommendation of her school choir teacher she received her first singing lessons at the age of 14 with soprano Egyptian-French Névine Allouba  [ fr ]. In 2009 she got accepted to study classical singing at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin where she received her Bachelor of Music in 2013 and Master of Music in 2018 under Prof. Renate Faltin. She then received a scholarship at the Opera Academy of La Scala in Milan, [5] [6] becoming the first Egyptian soprano to ever sing at La Scala. [7] In 2016 she was seen as Pamina in Peter Stein's production of The Magic Flute at La Scala in Milan. [8] [9]

She has appeared on many international stages, including the Teatro San Carlo (Naples), Staatsoper Hamburg, Royal Opera House Muscat, Wexford Opera in Ireland, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Vienna Konzerthaus, Royal Albert Hall, and Carnegie Hall. [10] She played roles in the operas Falstaff , L'enfant et les sortilèges , La Cenerentola and The Barber of Seville . [9] She sang at many well-known festivals such as the International Music Festival in Bad Kissingen, the Schumann Festival in Bonn and the 9th and 10th D-Marine Turgutreis International Classical Music Festival in Turkey. [11] She was an artist-in-residence at the Konzerthaus Berlin in 2022/23. [12]

Said is also known for her social commitment. At TEDxCairo in 2011, she sang “The Day the People Changed”, a new song she participated in composing about the Egyptian revolution. [13] In 2013, she worked with composer Eugenio Bennato at the Teatro San Carlo on an educational project about the Arab Spring. [13] She represented Egypt on Human Rights Day several times and appeared at the United Nations in Geneva together with Juan Diego Flórez [9] [14] where she committed herself to the musical education of children and young people. In 2016 she was the first opera singer to receive the Creativity Award from Egypt. She was also honored by the National Council for Women that same year. On 25 September 2021 she performed at Global Citizen Live in Paris, along with Elton John, Ed Sheeran, and other well known stars. [15]

Awards

Discography

Related Research Articles

Music has been an integral part of Egyptian culture since antiquity in Egypt. Egyptian music had a significant impact on the development of ancient Greek music, and via the Greeks it was important to early European music well into the Middle Ages. Due to the thousands of-years long dominance of Egypt over its neighbors, Egyptian culture, including music and musical instruments, was very influential in the surrounding regions; for instance, the instruments claimed in the Bible to have been played by the ancient Hebrews are all Egyptian instruments as established by Egyptian archaeology. Egyptian modern music is considered as a main core of Middle Eastern and Oriental music as it has a huge influence on the region due to the popularity and huge influence of Egyptian cinema and music industries, owing to the political influence Egypt has on its neighboring countries, as well as Egypt producing the most accomplished musicians and composers in the region, specially in the 20th century, a lot of them are of international stature. The tonal structure music in the East is defined by the maqamat, loosely similar to the Western modes, while the rhythm in the East is governed by the iqa'at, standard rhythmic modes formed by combinations of accented and unaccented beats and rests.

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References

  1. ↑ Synofzik, Thomas; Markowitz, Franziska, eds. (7–17 June 2012). Resümee: XVI Internationaler Robert Schumann Wettbewerb (Klavier, Gesang) [Summary: 16th International Robert Schumann Competition (Piano, Singers)](PDF) (in German). Zwickau. p. 32.
  2. ↑ Morrison, Richard (19 September 2022). "'Family friends didn't think music was a worthy profession'; Fatma Said had to overcome prejudice in Egypt to reach operatic heights". T2: Features. The Times . London. p. 9.
  3. 1 2 3 Nestor, Emer (19 July 2016). "An 'Authentic Sound': Fatma Said". Final Note Magazine. Archived from the original on 2017-08-27. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  4. ↑ Grätz, Reinhard (ed.). "Deutsche Schule der Borromäerinnen Jahrbuch 2012/13" [Cairo Borromean German School Yearbook 2012/13](PDF). pp. 5, 128–131.
  5. ↑ From tennis player to opera singer. BBC Radio 3. 30 June 2017.
  6. ↑ Dwyer, Clara (16 October 2016). "Fatma Said: 'I never thought I'd be singing a lead role in La Scala. Who knows what the future will bring?'". Irish Independent .
  7. ↑ Al Sheikh, Suhayla (16 November 2016). "A Rising Egyptian Opera Singer, Marks Herself on the International Scene!". What Women Want. Cairo.
  8. 1 2 "Opus Klassik for Fatma Said as Young Artist of the Year 2021". Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin News. 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Fatma Said". BBC . Archived from the original on 2017-12-30.
  10. ↑ "Fatma Said" (Press release). Warner Classics. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  11. ↑ "Fatima Said". Der Lyrische Salon. 2016. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  12. ↑ "Artist in Residence: We are pleased to welcome Fatma Said to Gendarmenmarkt during our 2022/23 season" (Press release). Konzerthaus Berlin. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  13. 1 2 "Fatma Said". The American University in Cairo . Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  14. ↑ "Concert for Peace and Human Rights, 10 December 2014". ONUART Foundation. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  15. ↑ "Fatma Said joins artists from across the music world for Global Citizen Live" (Press release). Askonas Holt. 23 September 2021.
  16. 1 2 "A young soprano who is developing a brilliant career in the opera". ONUART Foundation. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  17. ↑ Maged, Mira (17 January 2020). "Egyptian soprano artist Fatma Said signs with Warner Classics". Al-Masry Al-Youm . Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  18. ↑ "1. Internationaler Giulio-Perotti-Wettbewerb" [1st International Giulio Perotti Singing Competition](PDF). Ueckermünde Stadtreporter[Official Newsletter of the City of Ueckermünde]. Vol. 15, no. 2. 22 February 2011. pp. 15–16. ISSN   1439-1465.
  19. ↑ "Egyptian artist wins Leyla Gencer prize". Hürriyet Daily News. Istanbul. 21 September 2012.
  20. ↑ "7th Leyla Gencer Voice Competition Winners", Leyla Gencer Voice Competition
  21. ↑ "Egypt's Sisi talks roles for youth at closing ceremony of national conference". Ahram Online . Egypt. 27 Oct 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  22. ↑ "Egyptian Soprano Fatma Said Wins International Singing Competition". Egyptian Streets. 2016-01-30. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  23. ↑ "Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition – Our 2016 Prizewinners"
  24. ↑ "BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists announced". Classical-Music.com. 2016-08-30. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  25. ↑ Cullingford, Martin (30 August 2016). "2016 BBC New Generation artists named". Gramophone.
  26. ↑ "Fatma Said wins Newcomer of the Year at BBC Music Magazine Awards" (Press release). Askonas Holt. 14 Apr 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  27. ↑ "Opus Klassik Awards 2021: Winners Announced" by Sharon Kelly, 11 October 2021, udiscovermusic.com
  28. ↑ Pullinger, Mark. "Song: El Nour". Gramophone. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  29. ↑ Pullinger, Mark. "Young Artist of the Year: Fatma Said". Gramophone. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  30. ↑ "Egyptian soprano Fatma Said honoured with Rafik Hariri Award at the Kennedy Center". Ahram Online . Egypt. 17 Feb 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  31. ↑ "Fatma Said: Meet the soprano bridging the West and Arab world with her voice" by Holly Dagres, 16 February 2023, atlanticcouncil.org
  32. ↑ Fisher, Neil (October 2017). "Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (Fischer)". Gramophone . Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  33. ↑ Joncus, Berta (1 March 2020). "Gluck: Orphée et Euridice". BBC Music Magazine . Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  34. ↑ "Fatma Said – El Nour". Warner Classics. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  35. ↑ Serinus, Jason Victor (10 November 2020). "Introducing Fatma Said". San Francisco Classical Voice. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  36. ↑ "Jakub Józef Orliński – Anima Aeterna". Warner Classics. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  37. ↑ "Kaleidoscope – Fatma Said". Warner Classics. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
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