Dana Al Fardan

Dana Al Fardan (born 29 July 1985), is a self-taught Qatari composer and songwriter. Born and raised in Doha, al Fardan is known for being the first female Qatari contemporary composer, singer and songwriter,^[1] for being Qatar’s first female to sing in English,^[2] and for being the Cultural Ambassador for the Qatari Philharmonic Orchestra.^[3] Al Fardan's style is a mixture of classical and contemporary music with strong Arabic influences. Her debut album Paint was released in 2013, with which Dana achieved nationwide recognition.^[4]

Early life[]

Al Fardan was born on July 29, 1985 in Doha, Qatar. She is the daughter of Ali Al Fardan and Shafiqa Habib. She is the eldest of 6 sisters: Noor Al Fardan, Jawaher Al Fardan, Hind Al Fardan, Najla Al Fardan and Zuhoor Al Fardan.^{[citation needed]}

Al Fardan began to demonstrate her musical talent at a very early age. She used to spend hours playing around the keyboard and performing musicals at home with her sisters.^[5] However, Al Fardan's journey did not begin as an artist from the very beginning. She studied International Relations at the . After graduating, Al Fardan moved to London, England, where she obtained a second degree, this time in Gemology from the .^[1] After finishing her Gemology degree, she came back to Qatar to work in the family business - the Alfardan Group - created in 1954 by her grandfather Ibrahim Alfardan.^[6]

It was in 2012 that Al Fardan decided to change career. In the third trimester of her pregnancy, self-taught Dana decided to set off to London where she recorded her first album, which was completed after she gave birth to her daughter. According to Al Fardan, Layla’s birth in London was the turning point in her life, as she was inspired by her daughter to radically transform her life and pursue her true calling to be a musician.^[1]

“I don’t think that was a coincidence. I genuinely think that there was a level of communication that I tapped into. It was actually my becoming pregnant with my daughter that spurred me on to transform my love of music into a career path. It was the first time I understood that I was a musician, as opposed to somebody occasionally tinkering about on the piano. I realized I wanted to leave her with a legacy and the example of a mother who followed the road she was destined to pursue”.^[7]

Career[]

Al Fardan’s first album Paint was released in November, 2013. This album was produced by Tim Baxter in collaboration with twelve string players from the London Metropolitan Orchestra and mastered at Abbey Road Studios.^[8]

In 2017, Al Fardan released her orchestral album Sandstorm where magnificent strings, soloists and choral vocals are blended with traditional Middle Eastern rhythms. Sandstorm was recorded at Katara Studios in Doha.^[9] On November 20, 2016, Sandstorm was performed in Concert by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra at Katara Opera House,^[10] and also for the UN Day Concert on the 24th of October, 2019.^[11] Moreover, after a visit to Moscow in 2017, Al Fardan's music was chosen to be performed in the city to celebrate the launch of the Qatar-Russia Year of Culture 2018 by both visiting members of the Qatar Philharmonic and Russian musicians.^[12]

One year later, in 2018, Al Fardan presented her sold out West End musical Broken Wings in the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London. Broken Wings was a musical adaptation of Khalil Gibran’s poetic novel, originally published in 1912.^[13] With this play, co-written and co-composed with Nadim Naaman, they wanted to showcase the rich Arab philosophy and literature of Khalil Gibran. It was directed by Bronagh Lagan, produced by Ali Matar with orchestrations by Joe Davison.^[14] Broken Wings was also showcased in 2019 in Lebanon at the renowned and leading art festivals of the Middle East, the Beiteddine Festival, held in this town in the Chouf Mountains region, as Lebanon is home of both Khalil Gibran as well as Nadim Naaman.^[15][16][17] Broken Wings was also presented in the Dubai Opera House in January, 2020,^[18] as well as in Doha at Katara Opera House in November 2019. Both presentations were sold-out shows.^[19]

In March 2019, Al Fardan held the ‘Sounds for Qatar’ concert hosted by Qatar National Library in Doha. The concert included previous work such as ‘The Sounds of the Library’ and ‘Dialogues’, respectively commissioned by the Qatar National Library, Qatar Museums and Qassim Al Thani Museum.^[20] During this concert, she also performed live for the first time the song ‘Raise our Flag’, composed by Al Fardan and dedicated to the Qatari National Team for their performance during the Asian Cup 2019.^[21]

Al Fardan began 2021 with a series of collaborative projects. One of these projects is the major stage musical Rumi, which is based on a story about the 13th century philosopher and poet Rumi by .^[22] Rumi is a project created in collaboration with West End star and featured by West End and Broadway star Ramin Karimloo. This project was recorded in London and Doha through the Covid-19 pandemic.^[23] Additionally, Al Fardan presented her composition ‘Rising’ in collaboration with the AFCENT Band (U.S. Air Forces Central Band) to celebrate the Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture that was officially inaugurated at the on January 15, 2021.^[24]

Activism[]

Besides her impact on the cultural and musical scene of her country, Al Fardan is also widely known for her philanthropic endeavours.^[25] In 2019, she volunteered for humanitarian work in Gaza along with the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), United Nations Secretary General’s Humanitarian Envoy and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.^[26] Altogether, they launched the “Bring Hope for Gaza” campaign to ensure families have food in 2019 Ramadan, for which she visited in 2019 some UNRWA schools, hospitals, and community centres in the Palestinians Refugee camps in Amman to shed light on the situation in Gaza, with an aim to encourage others to support the Palestine community of Gaza.^[26] For the campaign of this project, Al Fardan composed a song that went live during Ramadan accompanied by a video of her visit to the UNRWA schools in Jordan. The song was aired on the UNRWA website and many other TV channels during Ramadan.^[27]

Awards[]

The impact of her work is of essential importance in the MENA region, as she is the first female English artist to emerge from Qatar.^[28] Her work was recognised in 2017, when she was awarded as the “Woman Of The Year” at the Grazia Style Awards 2017.^[29]

Concerts & Tours[]

• Sandstorm, London (2017)^[30][31]
• Qatar Russia Year of Culture, Russia (2017)^[32]
• Qatar National Day, New York (2018)^[33]
• UNESCO Majlis Exhibition, Paris (2018)^[34]
• United Nations 74th Anniversary, New York (2019)^[35][36]

References[]

External links[]

• Qatar Airways New Boarding Music by Dana Al Fardan