Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Jordan Celebrates National Treasure, Zeina Barhoum, founder of the 1st Opera Festival in the Arab World.

Zeina Barhoum Launches Amman Opera Festival as International Musicians Gather to Perform at the Roman Amphitheater in downtown Amman

June 15, 2017 - San Francisco, CA. - TravelTalkMEDIA and Monaco Business Development announced that under the Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein, Jordanian Soprano Zeina Barhoum has unveiled plans for the first ever opera festival in the Arab world. The Amman Opera Festival will debut with the full operatic production of Verdi’s La Traviata on July 19 and July 22 of 2017. The historic performance will take place at the 2000 year old Roman Amphitheatre in Downtown Amman. Zeina’s motivation behind this initiative is to plant the seeds towards growing the opera culture in Jordan and the Arab world, and perhaps inspire the building of a purpose-built Opera House in Jordan’s Capital, Amman, joining the company of other Arab states such as Oman and the UAE.

The production will include over 150 International musicians and dancers from more than 10 countries, starring Zeina Barhoum as Violetta, Andres Versamendi as Alfredo, Simon Svitok as Germont and Ady Naber as Gastone, accompanied by the Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring musicians from La Scala and local talent and musicians, The Batumi Opera House Choir led by Conductor Lorenzo Tazzieri and directed by Luigi Orfeo. Amman Opera Festival is supported by Greater Amman Municipality, with the Strategic Partnership of The Ministry of Tourism and Jordan Tourism Board, Embassy of The People's Republic of China, Embassy of Italy and Embassy of Georgia in Jordan with Royal Jordanian Airlines as the official carrier. The official hotels include Marriott, Rotana Towers, Arjaan Rotana, The Sheraton and Crowne Plaza.
HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein, who is the Royal Patron of La Traviata said, “Zeina Barhoum has helped to put Jordan on the map with all her hard work that she does both here and around the world.  It has always been delightful to work with her. I have had the pleasure of listening to Zeina at various concerts and also enjoyed her voice on CD’s very much. I consider her a great Ambassador of Music for Jordan."
Zeina also promotes Music and the Arts for the Arab youth in the region. Her tireless work to promote women’s issues, peace and healthy lifestyles are evident in her lengthy list of credits with performances in Jordan, UAE, London, Italy, Austria, France and Lebanon with renowned artists including Italian Baritone and tutor Walter Alberti and Roberto Alagna. Previously, Barhoum was invited to take part in the International Peace Festival Tour with the Prague Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Riad Al Kudsi. She was also hosted for a concert at the UNESCO theatre in Paris, organized by the Jordanian Embassy in France and in honor of Dr Irina Bokova in celebration of the listing of the Baptism Site in Jordan as a World Heritage Site.

Zeina Barhoum remarked. “Throughout my career, I have been blessed to work with people from around the globe. Through my music and art, I have realized the importance of cross cultural connections and I have seen first-hand how music provides an important bridge that unites cultures from all over the world. Through the use of music, we speak one language, a language we can all understand without interpreters,”

 La Traviata in Amman will be on the 19th and the 22nd of July 2017 starting at 8 30 PM. Doors open at
7:30 PM. Tickets can be found at: http://www.karasi.com and at Amman Opera Festival’s ticket booth at Cozmo in Amman, Jordan or call: +962 77 7980081 or +962 6 5515383. For more information go to:http://www.ammanoperafestival.com

About Zeina Barhoum
Zeina Barhoum is a classically trained Soprano and founder of The Alcantara music and art series. Zeina has performed at benefits countless times for the benefit of women, children, peace and prosperity. Among her many invitations to perform, Ms. Barhoum was invited to perform at Kensington Palace in celebration of Women achievers, and for bridging cultures through The Arab International Women’s Forum.

Her album titled Alcรกntara refers to the Roman stone arch bridge built in ExtremaduraSpain. The title of the album reflects Zeina’s dedication to building strong connections of understanding and compassion through her music. Her second Album, Alcantara II was recently recorded live and launched in a concert accompanied by The Philharmonic Orchestra of Lviv and Choir lead by Conductor Lorenzo Tazzieri. Zeina also obtained a Bsc in Visual Communication at American University of Sharjah.
For more information about Zeina go to: http://www.zeinabarhoum.com.

About HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein.
About Monaco Business Development and TravelTalkMEDIA Founders
Working together for the past 10 years, MBD and TTM founders, Mona Naffa and Sandy Dhuyvetter, both daughters of immigrants, have brought the good news of Jordan to the world via radio, TV print and online distribution. ‘Highlighting Jordan as a family destination and provided exciting stories has given the world a moment to pause and take notice that life in Jordan is full, rewarding, and available to visitors from all over the world’, said Sandy Dhuyvetter, TravelTalkMEDIA.




MEDIA CONTACT:
Mona Naffa
Email: mona@stijordan.com
Phone: +962796600962

US Press Sandy Dhuyvetter:
sandy@traveltalkmedia.com
1415 806 5740


Thursday, May 4, 2017

It’s Official. Taking Jordan by Storm, A Tour of Film Locations, August 5 – 13, 2017

May the 4th, 2017 – USA Taking Jordan by Storm is an innovative tour developed for travelers and movie fans. The developers MONACO Business Development and TravelTalkMEDIA have announced a new upcoming tour this August.
After a successful launch with notable Star Wars artists, Lorne Peterson and Sandy Dhuyvetter last December, Monaco Business Development and US Media Company, TravelTalkMEDIA are offering a second tour, highlighting some of the most stunning backdrops used in modern films.  Located in Jordan’s treasure chest of locations, Taking Jordan by Storm will incorporate visits to Jerash, Amman, the Lowest Spot on Earth, the Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba.

A special dinner is planned in Wadi Rum where Rogue One was filmed and Petra will be highlighted as the background of where Indiana Jones was filmed. The Martian and the timeless wonder, Lawrence of Arabia are other examples of familiar films where Jordan provided some of the most unique natural sets ever filmed.

‘You will find the natural wonders of Jordan with the open and statuesque rock and sand formations second to nothing else in this world’, said Mona Naffa, President of Monaco Business Development, ‘that is why we are thrilled to be working with film enthusiasts who come to Jordan and at each stop, stand in wonder as they absorb the beauty of Jordan. ‘
Ms. Naffa and Ms Dhuyvetter have worked together for the past 10 years to offer unique views and stories of Jordan as a family destination.’ After years of creating zany events and attracting news worthy stories and winning 2 Guinness World Records for the longest Slip and Slide and another for creating the 'Largest Human Floating Image in a Sea', Taking Jordan by Storm has become the next evolution and the latest venture. We are planning many more opportunities to get movie fans excited about Jordan’, said Sandy Dhuyvetter, the Executive Producer of TravelTalkMEDIA.’  

Both women are first generation Americans, Ms Naffa is an Arab American and Ms Dhuyvetter is a European American, respectively, both ladies understand the importance of creating bridges between countries and extending hands in friendship.

Royal Jordanian Airlines is the National carrier of the Kingdom and flies direct to Amman.

To view more information including a short video please stop by here:
http://www.traveltalkmedia.com/Jordan2017/Jordan2017.html



For more information about joining this special tour contact Monaco Business and/or Nebo Travel , the official Travel Agency to the Taking Jordan By Storm Tour. 

Mona Naffa
Monaco Business Development Jordan                                                       mona@stijordan.com

About Nebo Tours
We are one of the largest and best known travel companies in Jordan and the Middle East, providing tours to satisfied travelers from all over the world, and working with the best partners in the Region. As third generation hospitality professionals with over 80 years in the hotel and hospitality industry, NeboTours provides travelers with unforgettable first- class tourist experiences throughout Jordan.
operations@nebotours.com

About Jordan
Jordan offers an infinite variety of landscapes and terrain from the desert inhabitants by the Bedouins to Cosmopolitan life in the city. Jordan is about bringing the old and the new together. Amman, Jordan’s Capital, is known as Philadelphia-The City of Brotherly Love. Jordan is a nation of multiple cultures from Syrians, Palestinians, Europeans, Iraqis and Jordanians, and Americans, a cosmos of the Arab World.

About Royal Jordanian Airlines 
is the flag carrier airline of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. For Travelers in North America, Royal Jordanian Airlines travels to Amman direct from Chicago, New York, Detroit and Montreal Canada.
Sandy Dhuyvetter and Mona Naffa