Syed Shayaan Bakht, Staff Reporter
Emirati opera singer Fatima Al Hashemi captivated the crowds with her performance at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library on the occasion of Emirati Women's Day.
Fatima began her concert by performing the UAE national anthem at the library in Dubai, drawing applause from audiences.
The Emirati opera singer is proud of her identity as she appeared in various theatres wearing traditional gowns with unique designs that highlight her heritage and proclaim her talent in fine arts.
She presented masterpieces of classical operatic singing at the concert on Friday.
After the concert, Fatima expresses her happiness to Gulf Today by holding her first concert at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, coinciding it with Emirati Women's Day.
Fatima said that she is improving her singing skills with knowledge and practice and she has represented the UAE in many events.
She has also given productions in classical Arabic combining western and eastern rhythms.
Proud of her identity, the singer of the Emirati opera, Fatima Al Hashemi, appears in the performances in which she participates on various stages, wearing gowns with distinctive designs, highlighting her traditions, and announcing her talent in fine art.
She recently said during a media briefing, “What distinguishes me in my musical career is that I work on myself from both the artistic and administrative aspects. By virtue of my job in the Ministry of Culture, I work from the administrative aspect, because I want to be a role model for future generations, and I also aim to contribute to the work of building the infrastructure in the artistic field in the Emirates, especially in the musical field.”
She explained that what distinguishes operatic singing from other types is that it “requires the use of the entire body, not just the voice, and it is not about the microphone, in addition to the fact that songs are not just words and melody, but rather a story that requires the artist to present it with the voice through correct performance, so it can be said that it is a song-play, and whoever sings opera must be proficient in acting and singing at the same time.
Regarding her relationship with languages, especially since the opera is presented in many of them, including Russian, French, and Italian, Fatima said that she loves languages, and sings in French to a great extent, but Italian is the closest to her. She is also interested in many languages, including Korean, Czech, Polish, and Russian, as she enjoys learning the pronunciation of languages and their meanings.