Registration: New Beginnings 2020

Monday, March 30th, 7:00-8:30PM

$12 early; $20 otherwise and at the door; Early special expires March 24th; Free for students / refugees who register online early
Coloratura soprano Lubana Al Quntar — Syria’s First Opera Singer — will sing in Aramaic/Syriac at Georgetown University, accompanied by pianist Edvinas Minkstimas, oudist Chakib Hilali, and a choir, to raise awareness of refugee crises worldwide. Aramaic was used as a lingua franca in the Near East from the 6th century BCE. Concert to include pieces from the Syriac and Jewish traditions.
 
Enjoy Lubana’s ethereal voice, receive updates about Syria and connect to the various ways you can help refugees locally and worldwide. Meet and greet local refugees at reception (7:00-7:40PM) with light kosher, Syrian-style refreshments, preceding the concert.

Since mid-December 2019, about 586,000 Syrians have been displaced and 375 killed. Overall, the conflict in Syria has resulted in the displacement of more than half of Syria’s population of 20 million, existing prior to its onset.

Lubana Al Quntar

Lubana was born in Damascus, Syria to a family of traditional singers, including famous Syrian singer, Amal Al Atrash (Asmahan) and renowned composer and singer, Farid Al Atrash, whose music lives on, including in the Syrian Jewish liturgy. Lubana trained in classical international conservatories under the supervision of world-renowned opera singers such as Galina Khaldieva, Kenneth Woollam, and Maestra Mya Besselink. She has taken master classes with world-famous opera singers, namely Maestro Daniel Barenboim, Maestro Ricardo Mutti, and Sara Beaker. As a coloratura soprano, Lubana’s rare and dramatic voice breathes life into the wide repertoire she sings in folk, traditional Syriac and Aramaic languages, pop, and classical opera. Lubana's ability to variate between Arabic and Western techniques as a soloist in opera is second to none.

In 1995, Lubana won the prestigious title of the Syria’s First Opera Singer, receiving international fame and recognition. In 1996, she won the first audience prize and fourth overall prize in a Belgrade International Singing Competition. In 2000, she was awarded fifth prize at The Queen Elizabeth Singing Competition, Brussels, Belgium. Since 1996, she has toured internationally in over 10 countries in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and North America.

Between 2006 and 2012, she served at the Syrian National Conservatory as the Voice Chair for the Department of Opera Singing. While in that capacity, she founded and launched the Department of Classical Arabic Singing allowing students to study both Western and Arabic forms together for the very first time.

Edvinas Minkstimas
(Piano)

Mr. Minkstimas is widely regarded as one of Europe’s top emerging young pianists, one whose extensive repertory, solid technique and musical expression have led him to perform throughout Europe and North America. He is the winner of eight international piano competitions, Mr. Minkstimas became a Steinway Artist in August, 2013.

Mr. Minkstimas has appeared as a soloist in some of the most coveted concert venues in the world, including the Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, (NYC) Teatro Echegaray, Teatro Cervantes (Malaga, Spain), Salle Pleyel, Salle Faure, Cite de la Musique, CNSM and Cite Internationale des Arts (Paris), Tchaikovsky Hall (Moscow), Kennedy Center, National Gallery of Art, Phillips Collection (Washington, D.C.) and many others.

His performances are broadcasted regularly by WETA, Mezzo and other major classical music broadcasters. Edvinas Minkstimas’ professional debut was at the age of fourteen with The Lithuanian National Philharmonic Orchestra (Vilnius), playing the Grieg Piano Concerto in A-minor.

He has released two recordings, featuring solo and orchestral performances of works by Brahms, Beethoven and Liszt. Mr. Minkstimas has been recipient of numerous grants and scholarships, including those from the Meyer Foundation (France), Music Academy of the West (California), and the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture. For more information and recordings please visit the artists’ website.

Chakib Hilali
(Oud)

CHAKIB HILALI is a multi-instrumentalist noted for his exquisite feeling as a musician and playing Arabic music on a dizzying number of different instruments, which he switches between with consummate ease. Instruments he plays most often include oud (Arabic Lute), ney (end-blown flute), violin, riq (Arabic Tambourine), and oriental keyboards. He is also an expressive vocalist.

Chakib grew up in Casablanca, Morocco, born into a family of musicians who took him along to performances from a very young age. While in Morocco he founded a small ensemble, which began with four musicians, and grew to eleven members. He also performed oud with an Arabic orchestra called Ferqat al Ma'arif.

Chakib studied oud (Arabic lute) at the Conservatory of Music in Casablanca, but his studies were cut short at the age of 21, when he had an opportunity to immigrate to the US. Initially he lived in Denver, Colorado, where he became a key member of the Saltanah Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, and also performed in concerts with Lebanese percussionist Souhail Kaspar, Naser Musa, Georges Lamam, Yair Dalal and others. Chakib also plays North African Rai music with singer Reda Ray.

In 2005,Chakib was invited to perform and teach at the Mendocino Middle Eastern Music & Dance Camp. He taught Moroccan percussion on a variety of instruments, as well as a style of Moroccan singing known as "Shaabi".