La Boheme opera to resonate in Amman

AMMAN — Amidst all the challenges people are facing in the region, the universal language of music binds us together regardless of the kind of music, Jordanian soprano Zeina Barhoum said on Tuesday. 

During a press conference held to unveil the second Amman Opera Festival, Barhoum said that stories of love, devotion, life, death, hope, despair, patriotism and glory are common themes all people live by.  

The singer noted that Amman Opera Festival, which will be held under the patronage of HRH Princess Muna, "might have been born out of her personal passion for the art form".  

“We believe our festival is a cultural diplomacy tool and ambassador to what Jordan can offer to its people and the rest of the world as a badge of honour we all wear with pride,” she told reporters, noting that opera drives inspiration from our lives and then project it onto the world’s stage.  

Scheduled at the Roman Theatre on September 4 and 6, "La Bohème" opera will include a performance by Giacomo Puccini and will be directed by Deyan Proshev from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Barhoum will act as Mimi and Bassem Al Khoury as Rodolfo, the Opera La Bohème's leading roles, accompanied by singers from Georgia and Italy. They will be accompanied by The Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of the festival's artistic director and conductor, Lorenzo Tazzieri, choir singers from Jordan including Jordan's children's choir Nai conducted by Diana Talhami. 

Ibrahim Hashem, of the Greater Amman Municipality, said that Ammanis are celebrating the inception of a new kind of international art that speaks in all of the world’s languages. 

“It stands as a bridge between cultures and adds a unique element to the city,” he stated, noting that the festival is the first of its kind in the Arab world.  

The festival will also conduct a symposium later this year, featuring lecturers and speakers who will focus on the importance of developing vocational opportunities in music, highlighting its positive effects on societal behaviour, as well as the importance of introducing cultural literacy on a national level. 

Part of the opera's proceeds will go to a scholarship benefitting underprivileged children, according to the organisers.