After the success of ‘Broken Wings’ and the recent world premiere of ‘Rumi: The Musical’, Qatar’s first female singer-songwriter Dana Alfardan has announced a new project.
“My next undertaking is going to be ‘Dido Queen of Carthage’, so it is going to be a mini-series, I am commissioning a research on it at the moment,” the internationally renowned contemporary composer and songwriter told Gulf Times.
Alfardan was speaking on the sidelines of a special screening of a globally acclaimed film, ‘Street Kids United 3 – the Road To Moscow,’ at the Hamilton International School recently.
The event, which aims to raise awareness on the plight of street children across the world, featured performances by Alfardan and the Qatari Philharmonic Orchestra.
“When I put my mind to things, things start to spiral and appear and manifest quickly so this is one to look out for,” she said, noting that Dido or Elisha – as she is known – was the first queen of Carthage who fled Phoenicia after her brother murdered her husband.
“She left and with a handful of trusted followers, arrived on the shores of North Africa, and then from there, her story began. So again, another direction, there is Gibran, there is Rumi, and now I think it is time for me to grapple with a female figure in Middle Eastern history.
“And my whole mandate is basically to highlight Middle Eastern stories, bring these figures from Middle Eastern history, and literature and project them onto an international stage,” stressed Alfardan, who will be performing a seven-song concert, accompanied by a chamber orchestra and inventive light and colour theatrics during the D’reesha Performing Arts Festival, a first-of-its-kind in Qatar. The event is on December 16 from 8pm at the Ceremonial Court in Qatar Foundation's Education City.
Doha and London, among other major cities across the world, witnessed the success of Alfardan’s musical masterpieces, inspiring audiences of diverse cultures and backgrounds.
‘Rumi: The Musical’, she co-created with prominent British-Lebanese theatre actor, singer, and writer, Nadim Naaman.
About the direction and the future of Qatar’s music industry, Alfardan, who has been exerting extraordinary efforts and contributing immensely in nurturing creative talents, expressed optimism that Qatar could be a hub for creating exceptional content.
“I think that we have a lot of resources, this place right here (Hamilton International School in Doha) is a testament to the fact that we have all the resources to start creating content for export.
“This is definitely one of the best theatres I’ve seen in the world and I performed in a lot of places so it is incredible that kids have this, kids and people here in Qatar have these resources to showcase and create content and I think this could be a hub, this is what I see the future of the music industry over here.
“I don’t see it (Qatar) as a place for importing content, I see it as a hub for creating new materials for international export, and the success of Rumi – the fact that it was sold out in the largest theatre in London – is a reflection of the fact that there is an appetite for new stories, there is an appetite for flavours and textures that come from the Middle East”.
“My next undertaking is going to be ‘Dido Queen of Carthage’, so it is going to be a mini-series, I am commissioning a research on it at the moment,” the internationally renowned contemporary composer and songwriter told Gulf Times.
Alfardan was speaking on the sidelines of a special screening of a globally acclaimed film, ‘Street Kids United 3 – the Road To Moscow,’ at the Hamilton International School recently.
The event, which aims to raise awareness on the plight of street children across the world, featured performances by Alfardan and the Qatari Philharmonic Orchestra.
| D’reesha Performing Arts Festival will be a year-round performance lab that aims to empower students. It will culminate in an annual festival that transforms Education City into an open stage. In the long term, the unique multidisciplinary platform provided by QF will give the world a performance experience unlike any other. Some of Dreesha’s spotlight performances include Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, Showtime production, and, of course, a very special performance by Dana. |
“When I put my mind to things, things start to spiral and appear and manifest quickly so this is one to look out for,” she said, noting that Dido or Elisha – as she is known – was the first queen of Carthage who fled Phoenicia after her brother murdered her husband.
“She left and with a handful of trusted followers, arrived on the shores of North Africa, and then from there, her story began. So again, another direction, there is Gibran, there is Rumi, and now I think it is time for me to grapple with a female figure in Middle Eastern history.
“And my whole mandate is basically to highlight Middle Eastern stories, bring these figures from Middle Eastern history, and literature and project them onto an international stage,” stressed Alfardan, who will be performing a seven-song concert, accompanied by a chamber orchestra and inventive light and colour theatrics during the D’reesha Performing Arts Festival, a first-of-its-kind in Qatar. The event is on December 16 from 8pm at the Ceremonial Court in Qatar Foundation's Education City.
Doha and London, among other major cities across the world, witnessed the success of Alfardan’s musical masterpieces, inspiring audiences of diverse cultures and backgrounds.
‘Rumi: The Musical’, she co-created with prominent British-Lebanese theatre actor, singer, and writer, Nadim Naaman.
About the direction and the future of Qatar’s music industry, Alfardan, who has been exerting extraordinary efforts and contributing immensely in nurturing creative talents, expressed optimism that Qatar could be a hub for creating exceptional content.
“I think that we have a lot of resources, this place right here (Hamilton International School in Doha) is a testament to the fact that we have all the resources to start creating content for export.
“This is definitely one of the best theatres I’ve seen in the world and I performed in a lot of places so it is incredible that kids have this, kids and people here in Qatar have these resources to showcase and create content and I think this could be a hub, this is what I see the future of the music industry over here.
“I don’t see it (Qatar) as a place for importing content, I see it as a hub for creating new materials for international export, and the success of Rumi – the fact that it was sold out in the largest theatre in London – is a reflection of the fact that there is an appetite for new stories, there is an appetite for flavours and textures that come from the Middle East”.