Abeer Nehme (; born 19 May 1980) is a
Lebanese singer and a musicologist. She performs traditional Tarab music,
Lebanese traditional music,
Rahbani music, and sacred music from the
Maronite
Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...
,
Syriac Orthodox
The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The church upholds the Mia ...
, and
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
traditions.
Biography
Abeer
Nehme has been referred to as "the all-styles specialist" because of her talent in performing dialogues between different styles of music, such as Oriental model traditional styles, Lebanese styles, Syriac ethnic style, Greek Byzantine religious style, and
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
and modern Western styles.
Abeer is a
qanun player, a traditional Levantine instrument, and earned a bachelor's degree with the highest grade ever earned in oriental singing from
Holy Spirit University of Kaslik
The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK; , ''Jāmiʿah al-Rūḥ al-Quddus – al-Kaslīk'') is a private, non-profit, Catholic university in Jounieh, Lebanon. The university was founded by the Baladites in 1950 and ratified under the new ...
. She was a student of
Aida Chalhoub, director of the oriental music program at USEK. Lebanese, Arab, Greek and Syriac audiences quickly recognized her renowned talent.
As a professional in ethnic old music, Abeer interpreted, amongst other interpretations, a complete album of traditional Orthodox
Syriac language
The Syriac language ( ; ), also known natively in its spoken form in early Syriac literature as Edessan (), the Mesopotamian language () and Aramaic (), is an Aramaic#Eastern Middle Aramaic, Eastern Middle Aramaic dialect. Classical Syriac is ...
chants with the Syrian National Philharmonic Orchestra under the patronage of the Syriac Patriarch of Antioch,
Ignatius Zakka I.
As an Oriental modern singer, she played the leading role in various musical plays. Abeer participated as an honored guest amongst superstars at international festivals worldwide and performed as a soloist at several concerts accompanied by various international philharmonic orchestras. One of the compositions, "Abirou Salati" (Aroma of my prayer), is a journey through different styles of music, from the old music traditions of the fathers of the church, traditions of prayer and profound spiritualism, to the modernism of the people of God in the twenty-first century, a modernism of grandiosity and majesty.
In 2009, she joined
Jean-Marie Riachi
Jean-Marie Riachi (Arabic: جان ماري رياشي, born May 24, 1970, at Ras Baalbek) is a Lebanese musician, arranger, composer and producer.
Biography
Born on May 24, 1970, in Ras Baalbek, he graduated in musicology from the Holy Spi ...
for the album ''Belaaks''. The song "Belaaks" ("On the Contrary) is a duet with
Ramy Ayach
Ramy Abu Ayach (, born August 18, 1980) is a Lebanese singer, composer, and actor. Commonly referred to as the "Pop Star" in the Arab world for his impact and contribution to the contemporary Arab music scene and Pop Culture, Ayach is a winner o ...
and is an oriental
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
arrangement of "
Quizás, Quizás, Quizás
"", sometimes known simply as "" (; "Perhaps"), is a popular song by Cuban songwriter Osvaldo Farrés. Farrés wrote the music and original Spanish lyrics for the song which became a hit for Bobby Capó in 1947.
English version
The English lyr ...
" in the
Lebanese Arabic
Lebanese Arabic ( ; autonym: ), or simply Lebanese ( ; autonym: ), is a Varieties of Arabic, variety of Levantine Arabic, indigenous to and primarily Languages of Lebanon, spoken in Lebanon, with significant linguistic influences borrowed from ...
.
Music
2009: ''Aroma of My Prayer''
Aroma of My Prayers
, iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
- Nehme released one CD titled ''Aroma of My Prayer'' that represents a panorama of the sacred music from the Syriac Orthodox, Maronite, Byzantine, and Armenian traditions as well as the contemporary religious chants of major composers.
2009: ''Bel Aks -'' Nehme is the main singer on Jean Marie Riachi's album ''Bil Aks'' released in 2009. Her next release is a western music CD in English produced by Darren Michealson (21st Artist Century).
2010: Only The Desert Knows
2018: Abeer Nehme and Marcel Khalife
Marcel Khalife (; born 10 June 1950 in Amchit) is a Lebanese musical composer, singer, and oud player. Khalife is considered a folk hero in the Arab world, and he has been described as the "Bob Dylan of the Middle East."
Biography
In 1983 ...
- Sing A Little (غني قليلاً)
Awards and titles
*2000 The award of the Lebanese Diva Wadih Safi, Lebanon
*2007 Honor Award from the Apostiliki Diakonia, Greece
*2010 the Murex D'Or distinction award.
Theatre
In 2006, Nehme appeared with Fairuz
Nouhad Wadie Haddad (, ; born November 20, 1934 or November 21, 1935), known as Fairuz (, ), is a Lebanese singer. She is widely considered an iconic vocalist and one of the most celebrated singers in the history of the Arab world. She is pop ...
in a play for the Rahbani brothers at the Baalbeck International Festival. In 2007, Nehme interpreted the leading female role in ''Andalusia, Jewel of the world'', a play by Elias Rahbani
Elias Hanna Al Rahbani (; 26 June 1938 – 4 January 2021) was a Lebanese musician, composer, songwriter, orchestra conductor, and reality television personality, sitting as judge on a number of talent shows. He composed more than 2,500 songs, ...
produced by the House of Thani
The House of Thani () is the ruling family of Qatar, with origins tracing back to the Adnanite Banu Tamim tribe. Today Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his mother Moza bint Nassir lead the house.
History and structure
The Al Thani family can be ...
, the royal family of Qatar
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
, and Moza bint Nasser
Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned (; born 8 August 1959) is one of the three consorts of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former emir of Qatar. She is the mother of the current emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. She is the co-founder and ch ...
. She played the leading role in Elias Rahbani's play ''Ila''.
Movies
Nehme recorded all the songs of the '' Al-Bosta'' movie sound track produced by Fantascope production and directed by Philippe Aractingi.
References
External links
Official Website
Second Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nehme, Abeer
1980 births
Syriac-language singers
Living people
21st-century Lebanese women singers
Lebanese people of Assyrian descent
Performers of Christian music in Arabic
Lebanese Christians
Lebanese musicologists
Women musicologists
People from Tannourine
Holy Spirit University of Kaslik alumni