Emirati opera singer Fatima Al Hashemi is proud of her identity as she appears in various theater performances wearing gowns with unique designs that highlight her heritage and proclaim her talent in fine arts.

Today, Fatima is improving her singing skills with knowledge and practice and she has represented the state in many events. She has also given productions in classical Arabic combining western and eastern rhythms. Rights in the first place.

In her interview with Emirates Today, Fatima said: “I represent my country in many diplomatic and cultural forums as I participated in the (Home to Theater) competition organized during the Corona pandemic, the last one being the festival. Mexico; I was with Sharjah’s delegation as the guest of honor at the Mexico International Book Fair and had a concert with a Mexican opera singer.

And he added: “What differentiates me in my music career is that I work on myself from the technical and administrative side. In the UAE, especially in the music industry.

Indescribable love

Regarding my recent performance at Dubai Opera in the National Youth Orchestra, Fatima said: “I love theaters in general and I prefer appearing and singing in them rather than presenting myself and my work to the media. Singing is my first language. My love for communication and theaters is indescribable.

What distinguishes operatic singing from other genres is that “the whole body must be used, not just the voice, it does not need a microphone, and the songs are not just words. The melody, but the story that the artist must present with his voice through proper acting, so it can be said to be a sung drama, and opera.” A singer should be proficient in acting and singing at the same time.

He insists that he likes opera and classical music, but tries to combine East and West. Among the songs he produced with Berklee Abu Dhabi are two songs in classical Arabic, which feature Western instruments mixed with “waltz” rhythms and Oriental rhythms.

Regarding her relationship with languages, especially since opera is presented in several languages ​​including Russian, French and Italian, Fatima said she loves languages ​​and sings in French, but Italian is closer to her and she appreciates it. Multilingual, including Korean, Czech, Polish and Russian, she loves learning the pronunciation and meanings of words in her languages.

Carmen character

As for Fatima’s non-Emirati abaya on stage, the opera singer noted that she was trying to highlight her Emirati identity through the dress, insisting that she was sending a message no matter how different she was in the workplace. , it is possible for a person to do his job while protecting his identity.

During her last appearance at the Dubai Opera, she said she collaborated with Emirati designer Maryam Amira, sat down with her to study the character of the play’s heroine, Carmen, and chose to choose one of her songs. The details of the abaya are chosen to combine traditional and contemporary patterns.

Musicians Association

Fatima expressed her happiness at receiving a scholarship from Abu Dhabi’s Department of Tourism and Culture to Berkeley University, indicating that she is ready for her second master’s degree, which is in music business management. Musicians in the United Arab Emirates working solo will be useful in his future career, so you will help develop strategies for this sector, through study and employment, to facilitate future musicians, for example, licensing and production in the song industry, which is part of protecting intellectual property rights. He also emphasized that “artistic talent must be complemented by science. Excellence in any field must combine talent and knowledge.”

He lauded the move to launch the Musicians Association in the Emirates, of which he is a founding member, noting that the country has associations in other cultural sectors apart from musicians, which has finally been achieved and given hope to musicians.

And the most important thing the association provides is “giving opportunities to bands in the Emirates to participate in events, which often seek the help of international artists, as we have many musicians in our country. For example, there is an Emirati female flutist who studied in Britain, and not many people know about her. ” So, the association will help all of them make a public appearance in the Emirates.

Support for new talent

Fatimah Al-Hashemi studied engineering, but she did not work in this field, she went into the music field and carries the message she wants to convey through her voice. Today, he is working on a master’s degree in Arts Business Management and seeks to invest this knowledge in music to support new talent through the Musicians Association he belongs to. He studied accordion at school and later switched to piano. He expressed his love for opera singer Maria Claus, not only for her individuality, but also insisted on singing despite the criticism she received.

Fatima Al Hashimi:

“Artism must be complemented by science. Excellence in any field must combine skill and knowledge.”