2011

CONCERT – EXHIBITION


TRIBUTE TO SABAH


Sabah, Rima Khcheich

Lebanon / Creation 2010


A concert tribute through Sabah's most famous film songs, with an exhibition of posters from the films in which she acted, from the collection of Abboudi Abou Jaoudé.



Wednesday 8 June 2011, 9:00 pm

Assembly Hall, American University of Beirut, Hamra

Known as "Chahroura" and "Sabbouha", Sabah is a legendary Lebanese singer and actress whose career spans from 1943 to the present.


She has released over 50 albums and appeared in 98 films and 20 plays. She is one of the most prolific Arabic singers with over 3,500 songs in her repertoire.

She has performed songs by leading poets and composers such as Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Riyad Sunbati, Mohamed El Mugi, Farid Al Atrash, the Rahbani brothers, Filemon Wehbe, Assaad Sebaali, Mahmoud Beyram El Tounisi, Zaki Nassif, Toufic Barakat and Maroun Karam. 


She was the first Arab artist to perform on the stage of the Olympia Theater in Paris with Romeo Lahoud's orchestra in the mid-1970's. She has performed on other international stages such as the Carnegie Hall in New York, the House of Opera in Sydney, the Palace of Arts in Belgium, and the Albert Hall in London, as well as in Las Vegas theaters, and has participated in many Lebanese, Arab and international festivals over the years.

The renowned Lebanese singer began her singing career at the age of eight and two years later became a member of the Beirut Oriental Troupe for Arabic Music under the direction of Selim Sahhab.


At the age of eleven, she became a soloist singing the most difficult repertoire of Arabic vocal music. A graduate of the Lebanese American University in Beirut and the National Conservatory of Music, where she taught for twelve years, Rima has performed live throughout the Middle East, Europe and the USA, specializing in traditional Arabic vocal repertoire.


Rima is invited annually to Massachusetts, USA to teach voice and classical Arabic singing at Mount Holyoke College as part of the Arabic Music Retreat program directed by renowned musician and composer Simon Shaheen.


In 2001, Khcheich's first album "Orient Express" was released, in which she collaborated with Dutch and Iraqi musicians. Together they toured and performed in Europe and the Middle East.


In 2006 she released her solo album "Yalalalli" in the Middle East. It includes well-known musicians such as "Ziad Rahbani" on piano and the Dutch musician "Tony Overwater" on double bass with compositions especially composed for her and old Muwashahat rearranged in a modern style.


Rima released her third album "Falak" in 2008, in which she collaborated with well-known Dutch jazz musicians. "Falak" includes new compositions as well as old songs by Sayyed Darwish and Wadih El-Safi.


In December 2010, Rima was invited to the Dubai International Film Festival, where she gave a concert tribute to the famous Lebanese singer "Sabah". She performed Sabah's old movie songs, which she will present exclusively to the Lebanese audience during the Beirut Spring Festival 2011.