Fatma Said (born 1991 in Cairo)[1] is an Egyptian soprano living (as of 2022) in London.[2]
Fatma Said | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991 (age 32–33) Cairo, Egypt |
| Education | Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin (BMus, MMus) Accademia del Teatro alla Scala |
| Occupation | Opera singer |
| Agent | Askonas Holt |
| Website | fatmasaid.com |
Life
editFatma 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. 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
edit- First Prize in the German Young Musicians’ Competition Jugend musiziert, 2006 and 2009 [16][17]
- Winner of the Grand Prix of the 1st International Giulio Perotti Singing Competition, 5-11 February 2011 in Ueckermünde[18]
- 2nd prize and silver medal at the XVI. Robert Schumann International Competition for Pianists and Singers in Zwickau 2012[16]
- 1st Prize and Doğuş Audience Prize at the Leyla Gencer International Opera Competition in Istanbul 2012[19][20]
- Egyptian State Creativity Award 2016[21]
- 1st prize at the 8th Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition in Dublin 2016[3][22][23]
- Honorary Award of the National Council for Women in Egypt 2016[9]
- One of 2016's BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists[24][25]
- 2021 BBC Music Magazine Newcomer of the Year and Vocal Award for her debut album, El Nour[26]
- 2021 OPUS Klassik Young artist (vocals)][8][27]
- 2021 Gramophone Classical Music Award for Best Song Album, [28] Young Artist of the Year[29]
- 2023 Rafik Hariri Award for Artistic Excellence[30][31]
Discography
edit- 2017: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Magic Flute. From La Scala in Milan with Fatma Said as Pamina, directed by Peter Stein, conducted by Ádám Fischer. DVD / Blu-ray released by CMajor.[32]
- 2018: Christoph Willibald Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice. From La Scala in Milan with Fatma Said as Amour, directed by John Fulljames and Hofesh Shechter, conducted by Michele Mariotti. DVD / Blu-ray released by Belvedere.[33]
- 2020: Fatma Said – El Nour. (Warner Classics, originally released: 16 October 2020) French, Spanish and Arabic songs. Featuring Malcolm Martineau (piano), Rafael Aguirre Miñarro (guitar), Burcu Karadag (nay), Tim Allhoff (piano) and the vision string quartet.[34][35]
- 2021: Featured on Jakub Józef Orliński's Anima Aeterna (Warner Classics, released 29 October 2021).[36]
- 2022: Kaleidoscope – Fatma Said. (Warner Classics, released: 2 September 2022) Featuring Tim Allhoff (piano), Christian Gerber (Musiker) (bandoneon), Marianne Crebassa (mezzo-soprano), Lucienne Renaudin Vary (trumpet), vision string quartet, Quinteto Angel, Henning Sieverts (bass), Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Sascha Goetzel (conductor).[37]
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ Grätz, Reinhard (ed.). "Deutsche Schule der Borromäerinnen Jahrbuch 2012/13" [Cairo Borromean German School Yearbook 2012/13] (PDF). pp. 5, 128–131.
- ^ From tennis player to opera singer. BBC Radio 3. 30 June 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Al Sheikh, Suhayla (16 November 2016). "A Rising Egyptian Opera Singer, Marks Herself on the International Scene!". What Women Want. Cairo.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ a b c d "Fatma Said". BBC. Archived from the original on 2017-12-30.
- ^ "Fatma Said" (Press release). Warner Classics. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
- ^ "Fatima Said". Der Lyrische Salon. 2016. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Fatma Said". The American University in Cairo. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
- ^ "Concert for Peace and Human Rights, 10 December 2014". ONUART Foundation. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
- ^ "Fatma Said joins artists from across the music world for Global Citizen Live" (Press release). Askonas Holt. 23 September 2021.
- ^ a b "A young soprano who is developing a brilliant career in the opera". ONUART Foundation. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ Maged, Mira (17 January 2020). "Egyptian soprano artist Fatma Said signs with Warner Classics". Al-Masry Al-Youm. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Egyptian artist wins Leyla Gencer prize". Hürriyet Daily News. Istanbul. 21 September 2012.
- ^ "7th Leyla Gencer Voice Competition Winners", Leyla Gencer Voice Competition
- ^ "Egypt's Sisi talks roles for youth at closing ceremony of national conference". Ahram Online. Egypt. 27 Oct 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Egyptian Soprano Fatma Said Wins International Singing Competition". Egyptian Streets. 2016-01-30. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
- ^ "Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition – Our 2016 Prizewinners"
- ^ "BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists announced". Classical-Music.com. 2016-08-30. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ Cullingford, Martin (30 August 2016). "2016 BBC New Generation artists named". Gramophone.
- ^ "Fatma Said wins Newcomer of the Year at BBC Music Magazine Awards" (Press release). Askonas Holt. 14 Apr 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Opus Klassik Awards 2021: Winners Announced" by Sharon Kelly, 11 October 2021, udiscovermusic.com
- ^ Pullinger, Mark. "Song: El Nour". Gramophone. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
- ^ Pullinger, Mark. "Young Artist of the Year: Fatma Said". Gramophone. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
- ^ "Egyptian soprano Fatma Said honoured with Rafik Hariri Award at the Kennedy Center". Ahram Online. Egypt. 17 Feb 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Fatma Said: Meet the soprano bridging the West and Arab world with her voice" by Holly Dagres, 16 February 2023, atlanticcouncil.org
- ^ Fisher, Neil (October 2017). "Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (Fischer)". Gramophone. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
- ^ Joncus, Berta (1 March 2020). "Gluck: Orphée et Euridice". BBC Music Magazine. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
- ^ "Fatma Said – El Nour". Warner Classics. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
- ^ Serinus, Jason Victor (10 November 2020). "Introducing Fatma Said". San Francisco Classical Voice. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński – Anima Aeterna". Warner Classics. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
- ^ "Kaleidoscope – Fatma Said". Warner Classics. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
