Georgetown to host Arab music concert featuring Oumeima El-Khalil and Hani Siblini

As a part of its endeavor to foster Arabic culture and language activities in the community, Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) will host an Arab music concert featuring Lebanese singer Oumeima El-Khalil and musician Hani Siblini. The event will be held in the main Georgetown University auditorium on Monday October 10 at 6:00 p.m.

El-Khalil, who is known for her performance of classical Arabic songs, will take the stage alongside Siblini, her husband and musical partner. Siblini, a talented composer, pianist and keyboard player, has worked with El-Khalil on popular songs such as “A young man and a young girl,” “Days,” and the famous hit “I said I will write to you.”

“I firmly believe that hosting such events and bringing in renowned artists gives us the opportunity to relate their creative works to the cultural and linguistic topics that we focus on in our academic field,” said Abbas Al-Tonsi, director of the Arab Language Program at GU-Q. “In this context, artists are keen on maintaining the Arab musical heritage while reflecting a contemporary musical experience as it is lived by Arab citizens.”

El-Khalil’s roots go back to the Lebanese city of Baalbek in the Bekaa valley where, encouraged by her father, a musician, she started singing at the age of 12. She later moved to Beirut where she formally studied music. Over a career extending for more than 30 years, El-Khalil has become a prominent singer and respected artist with a number of hits and a large fan base across the Arab world. She is known for singing the works of famous Lebanese composer Marcel Khalifa and Arab poet Mahmoud Darwish, among others.

Siblini started his career composing commercial music and documentary background music, and went on to accompany the legendary Lebanese singer Fayrouz as a pianist. He considers himself “the bastion defending Oumeima El-Khalil and the active volcano of music arranging for her voice.”

He thinks of their destined meeting and music collaboration as a new phase of his musical career, which has lifted him upwards to a higher level of composing and arranging. Siblini understands El-Khalil’s voice capabilities, and has composed beautiful melodies with creative arrangements for her. He has also rearranged some old Arab classical songs that date back to the early 20^th century for her to perform.

The concert is the latest in a number of musical and cultural events hosted by GU-Q. Last year, the Arabic Language Program organized a concert featuring internationally acclaimed Lebanese composer, oud master, and vocalist Marcel Khalifa and Egyptian singer Mohamed Mohsen. Through these performances, GU-Q hopes to create a culturally rich environment that enables students to find connections with their Arabic language studies.