Starring

Lubana Al Quntar

Lubana was born in Damascus to a family of traditional singers. A descendant of famous Syrian singer, Amal Al Atrash, ASMAHAN and renowned composer and singer, Farid Al Atrash, Lubana grew up with an ear and a voice for music. She trained in classical international conservatories under the supervision of world-renowned opera singers such as Galina Khaldieva, Kenneth Woollam, and Maestra Mya Besselink. She has taken master classes with world-famous opera singers, namely Maestro Daniel Barenboim, Maestro Ricardo Mutti, and Sara Beaker. As a coloratura soprano, Lubana’s rare and dramatic voice breathes life into the wide repertoire she sings in folk, traditional Syriac and Aramaic languages, pop, and classical opera. Lubana’s ability to variate between Arabic and Western techniques as a soloist in opera is second to none. 

In 1995, Lubana the prestigious title of the First Arab Opera Singer from the Levenat, receiving international fame and recognition. In 1996, she won the first audience prize and fourth overall prize in a Belgrade International Singing Competition. In 2000, she was awarded fifth prize at the Queen Elizabeth Singing Competition, Brussels, Belgium. Since 1996, she has toured internationally in over 10 countries in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and North America having performed over 270 times on international stages.

Special Guest Appearance

Sanaa Nabil

Great grand-niece of Umm Kulthum

The great grand-daughter of Umm Kulthum’s sister, rose to fame through the TV programme ‘Arabs Got Talent’ when she received Golden Buzzer from actor Ahmed Hilmi. She began singing in school and at the age of twelve years old with her vocal training with maestro Salim Sahhab at the Cairo Opera House. Today, at just seventeen, Sanaa studies in the High Arab Music Institute with renowned composer, Abdo Dagher. 

CAST

Lubana Al Quntar
Adult Umm Kulthum

Nadeem Crowe
Rami

Sherifa El Ayouty
Young Umm Kulthum

Yasmin Bitar
Middle Umm Kulthum

Yasmeen Audi
Adult Umm
Adult Saayida

Maha Khlifi
Mother

Sami Karim
Father

Nayef Rashid
Abu Ila / Dr Hefnawi

Samy Elkhatib
Khalid/Hamdi/Iron Man

Hannah Qureshi
Rawheya

Tom Tunstall
Mr Coquatrix/Pasha 2/King/Mechanic

Balquis Duvall
Munira

Johan Munir
Ibrahim Dsougy/Qasabji
Journalist

Armaan Kirmani
Village Sheiku / Pasha Amin

Mariam Farid
Umm Kulthum as a young child 

Nour Al Zawawi
Umm Kulthum young sister 

Georgia Strump
Supporting Ensemble 

DANCERS & SINGERS

Jake Stewart
Sunbati/Wahab/Pasha guest/Dancer

Bethany Weaver
Dancer

Hannah Petley
Dancer

Osama Kirwan
Singer

Joseph Roberts
Pasha’s guest / Dancer

Hatem Kiwan
Singer

THE ORCHESTRA

Violin – Salar Asid
Violin – Safwat Gerges
Violin – Peshraw Saleh
Cello – Yassir Bousselam
Qanun – Youssef Nasif
Oud – Roskar Nasan
Ney – Mina Salama
Keyboard – Ellie Haddad
Double Bass – Fajer Alabdalla
Percusionist – Jamal Alsakka
Percsusion – Iba Abu Khalaf

Inner Core Ensemble

Keyboard – Ellie Haddad
Violin 1 – Salar Asid
Percusionist – Jamal Alsakka
Ney – Mina Salama
Qanun – Youssef Nasif
Cello – Yasir Bousselam

Outer Core Ensemble

Violin – Safwat Gerges
Oud – Roskar Nasan
Percsusion – Iba Abu Khalaf
Double Bass – Fajer Alabdalla
Violin – Peshraw Saleh