Rima Khcheich - Hawa "Muwashahat"

Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich was born in the village of Khiam in southern Lebanon, in 1974. She began singing classical Arabic music at the age of nine, and was awarded the bronze medal at the Bizert Festival for Mediterranean Song in Tunisia in 1985.

Rima's singing career began at a young age with the children's choir at the Arabic Cultural Club in Beirut, and later evolved into a solo performance with the Beirut Oriental Troop for Arabic Music under the supervision and direction of Maestro Salim Sahab.



Rima went on to study the tradition of classical Arabic singing at The Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music in Beirut; her efforts were supported by her father Kamel Khcheich who encouraged her to memorize and master classics from the Arabic music heritage including Muwashahat, Adwar and other styles. She has performed the music of the great masters Zakariah Ahmad, Al-Kassabji, Sayyed Darwish, Kamel Al Khal'i and Muhammad Abdel Wahab, amongst others.

Having participated in various concerts in Lebanon and around the world, Rima has gained international repute and admiration for her gift in performing complex Arabic classical forms such as Dor 'Emta El hawa', and Muwashah "Anta al Mudallal." Since 2001 she has collaborated with the esteemed Dutch jazz ensemble, the Yuri Honing Trio, and has recorded three albums -- "Orient Express", "Yalalalli" and her most recent release, "Falak" -- in which she seamlessly melds the established Arabic song repertoire into the western jazz idiom, creating an exciting new sub-genre.

In addition to her solo career, Rima teaches oriental singing at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music and is invited on a yearly basis to the United States where she teaches voice and classical Arabic singing at the annual Arabic Music Retreat held at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, directed by renown musician and composer Simon Shaheen.

Rima Khcheich and ‘Hawa’

Gracing the stage with her signature combination of Western and vintage Oriental music, Rima Khcheich mesmerized the audience during the release of her newest CD, “Hawa”.

  Khcheich opened he concert April 25 in USJ’s Pierre Abou Khater amphitheater by dedicating the night to her late friend Iman Homsi, a talented young Qanun player who died recently at the age 45.

  After a smooth 40 minutes of classical “Muwashahat,” Rima interrupted the program for an extra song also dedicated to Homsi. Rima stated that the song “Baiti Ana Baitak” had been one of the last things she and Homsi had been working on before her death. With a heartfelt performance, the audience remained speechless. And so the night went on to end with two last songs.

  Closing off the night, Rima and her musical ensemble—consisting of a double bass, clarinet player, percussionist, and “rib” player—were called back on stage for an encore, where she once again took the audience into her own world, by her famous rendition of “Harrama Al- Nawma Alayna,” finishing off to a well-deserved standing ovation.

  Some of the audience members were overheard saying that what made the night so special was Khcheich’s “mixing of two very different musical genres, giving the night a jazzy feel while staying true to the inherent emotions of the traditional ‘Muwashahat.’”

  What was notable about the audience was that the majority of those in attendance were elderly, reflecting the target audience to which Khcheich’s music appeals. Though  a young and fresh face, she narrows down her performances to old original music initially performed by the music giants of the Arab world, such as Um Kulthum and Sayyed Darwich.

  Khcheich is currently a professor in AUB at the Department of Fine Arts and Arts history, where she is director of the AUB Arabic Choir. The newly established choir will have its first concert on May 6 in Assembly Hall. Through the choir, Khcheich attempts to extend the target audience of Oriental music to a younger group of people, and to keep the memory of some of the greatest musicians of the Arab World alive within the AUB community.

Sera Chamseddine

http://outlookaub.com

 Track List :

01. Muwashah Rama Qalbi
02. Muwashah Ya Hilalan
03. Mawwal Toul El Layali  MUwashah Laha Badru El Tim
04. Muwashah Wajhak Mushriq
05. Muwashah Ramani Bi Sahm Hawah
06. Muwashah Salla Fina El Lahtha Hindiyya
07. Muwashah Ya Nahif El Qawam
08. Muwashah Ya 'Akha El Badr
09. Muwashah Shajani Yafuqu
10. Muwashah Ya Man La'ibat
11. Dawr Ibtissam El Zahr