Hiba Kawas

Hiba Al Kawas(born 17 July 1972, Saïda, Lebanon) is a Lebanese operatic soprano, composer and academic.

Hiba Al Kawas graduated from the Lebanese University with a degree in experimental sciences and a Bachelor's Degree in clinical psychology. She followed this with a Master's Degree in opera singing with high distinction from the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory and a master's degree in composition and studies in musicology. She completed final studies for a Diploma in piano. Al Kawas was awarded a special scholarship from the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Italy where she pursued advanced studies in opera singing with Carlo Bergonzi and composition with Franco Donatoni.

Hiba Al Kawas has composed for symphony orchestra, chamber orchestra, string orchestra, various ensembles, piano, and voice. In her compositions traditional Arabic instruments are included in the orchestra. Her compositions combine Oriental-Arabic music components with international composition techniques, forming a bridge between Oriental-Arabic music, classical and neo classical forms, and contemporary music.

Hiba Al Kawas has recorded 21 works of her own composition with the Dnepropetrovsk Symphony Orchestra-Ukraine under the direction of Vyacheslav Blinov, and 10 works with the Kraków Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Wojciech Czepiel. She has recorded 13 works with The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine and the National Choir of Kiev conducted by Vladimir Sirenko. In 2000, participated as a composer in the Krakow Contemporary Composition Festival, where the Krakow chamber Orchestra played her Aspiration No.1 conducted by Wojceich Czepiel. At her second appearance ath the festival, her composition Moments in Krakow was given its world premiere by the Krakow Academy of Music conducted Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Wojceich Czepiel. Her orchestral work, Pleusis 1, which was premiered in 2000 by the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Harout Fazlian and by Wojciech Czepiel, has been played by the City of London Sinfonia, Cairo Symphony Orchestra, Krakow Symphony Orchestra, Bolshoi State Theatre Symphony Orchestra.

...
Wikipedia