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 Alcántara refers to the Roman stone arch bridge built in Extremadura, Spain. 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.

HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein is the mother of His Majesty King Abdullah the Second of Jordan. HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein married the late King Hussein Bin Talal, King of Jordan, in 1961. As an art and music lover HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein also sponsors a number of talented music students and musicians

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.

To View Press Release in Arabic go to: http://traveltalkmedia.com/ZeinaBarhoum/ZeinaBarhoum_ArabicTranslationPress_June2017.pdf

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

US Press Sandy Dhuyvetter:
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1415 806 5740