Hiba Tawaji
Encyclopedia
Hiba Michel Tawaji was born on December 10, 1987, in Achrafieh
-Beirut
, and grew up in the Elissar-Matn District
. Tawaji is a Lebanese singer, actress, and director. She sings in Arabic, English and French. Tawaji interprets different music styles such as oriental, pop
, jazz
, and opera
, as well as being a coloratura soprano
with a four octave
vocal range
.
Tawaji has admired Oussama Rahbani (producer and composer and son of the Music Legend Mansour Rahbani
) from a very young age, and always dreamt of meeting and working with him. That dream came true in January 2007 when she met Oussama and started a successful career alongside him.
From 2002 until 2005, she took singing lessons and solfeggio
at École De Musique Ghassan Yammine. Then she went to Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Institute of Scenic, and majored in audio-visual and cinematographic studies, earning her B.A. in 2010.
From 2007 and to the present day, she has been developing vocal techniques and interpretation with Lebanese producer and composer Oussama Rahbani. As well as taking vocal lessons with Lebanese singer and vocal coach Wadih Abi Raad.
From May 2010 and until July 2010, she took vocal lessons with Emmy Award
winner Gwen Conley in New York. In that same period, she followed a three-month intensive acting workshop at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting
in New York.
2008
"" "Metl el rih" - (directed by Joe Bou Eid)
(Composed and orchestrated by Oussama Rahbani)
Written by Mansour Rahbani for the musical play "" The Return of the Phoenix
2011
"" "Helm" - (directed by Hiba Tawaji)
(Produced, composed and orchestrated by Oussama Rahbani)
Lyrics by Ghadi Rahbani, taken from the album La Bidayi Wala Nihayi ""
2011
"" "Aal Bal Ya Watanna" - (directed by Hiba Tawaji)
(Produced, composed and orchestrated by Oussama Rahbani)
Lyrics by Ghadi Rahbani, taken from the musical play Don Quixote (by Marwan, Ghadi & Oussama Rahbani)
Albums
Musicals
"" The Return of the Phoenix (by Oussama Rahbani),
"" The Return of the Phoenix (by Oussama Rahbani)
"" The Return of the Phoenix (by Oussama Rahbani)
"" Summer 840 (by Mansour Rahbani)
"" Summer 840 (by Mansour Rahbani)
"" Moulouk Al Tawaef
Don Quixote (by Marwan, Ghadi and Oussama Rahbani)
Concerts
"An evening with Oussama Rahbani", Zaha Hadid
Pavilion, Oussama Rahbani feat. Hiba Tawaji & Wadih Abi Raad.
"Oussama Rahbani feat. Hiba Tawaji & Wadih Abi Raad"
"La bidayi wala nihayi", "Oussama Rahbani feat. Hiba Tawaji & Wadih Abi Raad"
Achrafieh
Achrafieh, , is one of the oldest Christian districts of East Beirut, Lebanon.-Overview:It is located on a hill in the eastern part of Beirut alongside the shore. Achrafieh is both a residential and commercial district characterized by narrow winding streets and prestigious large apartment and...
-Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, and grew up in the Elissar-Matn District
Matn District
Matn , sometimes spelled Metn, is a district in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut...
. Tawaji is a Lebanese singer, actress, and director. She sings in Arabic, English and French. Tawaji interprets different music styles such as oriental, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, as well as being a coloratura soprano
Coloratura soprano
A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano who specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs and leaps. The term coloratura refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component of the music written for this voice...
with a four octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
.
Tawaji has admired Oussama Rahbani (producer and composer and son of the Music Legend Mansour Rahbani
Mansour Rahbani
Mansour Rahbani , was a Lebanese composer, musician, poet and producer, known as one of the Rahbani brothers.- Musical Studies :...
) from a very young age, and always dreamt of meeting and working with him. That dream came true in January 2007 when she met Oussama and started a successful career alongside him.
Education
From 1990 and until 2005, Tawaji studied in Athenee de Beyrouth School, and got her French Baccalaureate in French literature.From 2002 until 2005, she took singing lessons and solfeggio
Solfege
In music, solfège is a pedagogical solmization technique for the teaching of sight-singing in which each note of the score is sung to a special syllable, called a solfège syllable...
at École De Musique Ghassan Yammine. Then she went to Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Institute of Scenic, and majored in audio-visual and cinematographic studies, earning her B.A. in 2010.
From 2007 and to the present day, she has been developing vocal techniques and interpretation with Lebanese producer and composer Oussama Rahbani. As well as taking vocal lessons with Lebanese singer and vocal coach Wadih Abi Raad.
From May 2010 and until July 2010, she took vocal lessons with Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winner Gwen Conley in New York. In that same period, she followed a three-month intensive acting workshop at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting
Stella Adler Studio of Acting
Stella Adler Studio of Acting is an acting school in New York founded by the actress and teacher Stella Adler -History:...
in New York.
Career
Music videos2008
"" "Metl el rih" - (directed by Joe Bou Eid)
(Composed and orchestrated by Oussama Rahbani)
Written by Mansour Rahbani for the musical play "" The Return of the Phoenix
2011
"" "Helm" - (directed by Hiba Tawaji)
(Produced, composed and orchestrated by Oussama Rahbani)
Lyrics by Ghadi Rahbani, taken from the album La Bidayi Wala Nihayi ""
2011
"" "Aal Bal Ya Watanna" - (directed by Hiba Tawaji)
(Produced, composed and orchestrated by Oussama Rahbani)
Lyrics by Ghadi Rahbani, taken from the musical play Don Quixote (by Marwan, Ghadi & Oussama Rahbani)
Albums
- 2009 – Sayf 840 "" (Highlights and the complete version) by Mansour Rahbani
- 2011 – La Bidayi Wala Nihayi "", (Oussama Rahbani feat. Hiba Tawaji)
- 2011 – Don Quixote ( by Marwan, Ghadi & Oussama Rahbani)
Musicals
- 2008 - Byblos International FestivalByblos International FestivalThe Byblos international festival is one of the biggest Lebanese festivals which attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world to the shores of Lebanon,to Byblos first city in Phoenicia founded around 5000BC.-HISTORY:...
"" The Return of the Phoenix (by Oussama Rahbani),
- 2008 - Dubai
"" The Return of the Phoenix (by Oussama Rahbani)
- 2008 - 2009 - Casino du libanCasino du LibanCasino du Liban is a casino located in Maameltein, Jounieh in Lebanon and is 22 km north of Beirut.With an area of about 35,000 square meters, the casino has around 400 slot machines and 60 gaming tables. It has a showroom, night club, theater, banquet facility and five restaurants. The casino was...
"" The Return of the Phoenix (by Oussama Rahbani)
- 2009 - Byblos International FestivalByblos International FestivalThe Byblos international festival is one of the biggest Lebanese festivals which attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world to the shores of Lebanon,to Byblos first city in Phoenicia founded around 5000BC.-HISTORY:...
"" Summer 840 (by Mansour Rahbani)
- 2009 -2010 Casino du libanCasino du LibanCasino du Liban is a casino located in Maameltein, Jounieh in Lebanon and is 22 km north of Beirut.With an area of about 35,000 square meters, the casino has around 400 slot machines and 60 gaming tables. It has a showroom, night club, theater, banquet facility and five restaurants. The casino was...
"" Summer 840 (by Mansour Rahbani)
- 2010 - Qatar
"" Moulouk Al Tawaef
- 2011 - Byblos International FestivalByblos International FestivalThe Byblos international festival is one of the biggest Lebanese festivals which attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world to the shores of Lebanon,to Byblos first city in Phoenicia founded around 5000BC.-HISTORY:...
Don Quixote (by Marwan, Ghadi and Oussama Rahbani)
Concerts
- March 2011 - Abu Dhabi FestivalAbu Dhabi FestivalAbu Dhabi Festival is an annual cultural festival in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; established in 2004. The festival is presented by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation. The event has been held under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme...
"An evening with Oussama Rahbani", Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid, CBE is an Iraqi-British architect.-Life and career:Hadid was born in 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq. She received a degree in mathematics from the American University of Beirut before moving to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.After graduating she worked...
Pavilion, Oussama Rahbani feat. Hiba Tawaji & Wadih Abi Raad.
- August 2011 - Ehdeniyat festival
"Oussama Rahbani feat. Hiba Tawaji & Wadih Abi Raad"
- November 2011 - Palais des congrès Dbayyeh - LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
"La bidayi wala nihayi", "Oussama Rahbani feat. Hiba Tawaji & Wadih Abi Raad"