AUS Spring Jubilee Concert supports AUS Jubilee Scholarship Fund

The wide-ranging musical talents of the American University of Sharjah (AUS) community were shared in a special concert held by the Performing Arts Program on Monday as part of the AUS Silver Jubilee celebrations.

The concert featured a suite of celebrated Arabic songs by revered artists such as Adul Halim Hafiz and Majida Al Roumi, Western classical and popular music, and saw the debut of the brand-new AUS Children’s Choir.

Its proceeds will go to the AUS Jubilee Scholarship Fund, which will be used to support AUS students and address their critical needs so they can pursue their academic goals.

Opening with a performance of the traditional Islamic song “Tala'a Al-Badru 'Alayna” by the AUS Children Choir, the four- to 10-year-old members gave a heartfelt and endearing rendition along with members of the AUS Choir and the Arabic Music Ensemble.

Applied voice students led by Dr. Feryal Qudoura, Assistant Professor in Performing Arts, danced and sang their way through hit features from Broadway, Carnatic and Baroque pieces. The audience also enjoyed melodies by applied piano students, led by adjunct faculty in the Performing Arts Program Dr. Natalia Tykhonova, as they performed Mozart's “Turkish March'' and Jim Brickman's “Angel Eyes”.

The AUS Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Damon Dandridge, Assistant Professor in Performing Arts, delivered epic performances featuring "Storm" by James M. DesJardins and "A Celebration of Spirituals" by Joseph Martin with an opera performance by Dr. Qudoura. Several performances were also accompanied by the piano playing of adjunct faculty members in Performing Arts Program Jane Yevheniya Shumilova and Dr. Jelena Dukic.

The Arabic Music Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Albert Agha opened with the instrumental piece “Samai Zikra” by Lebanese composer Charbel Rouhana, featuring soloists on the violin, viola, cello and oud. This was followed by a mashup set of music pieces featuring the songs “Asmar ya Asmarani” and “Bahlam Beek” for the veteran Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez, the popular tune “El Helwa Di” by Egyptian singer and composer Sayyed Darwish, and “Helwa ya Baladi” by the famous Egypt-born Italian-French singer Dalida. Alumna Sama Essaalta’sei  solo performance of Lebanese singer Majida Al Roumi by “Itazalt el Gharam” followed, featuring jazz-like rhythms and an arrangement with the interjection of Arabic musical modes and rhythms.

The event concluded with a performance by the AUS Children’s Choir along with the AUS Choir and the Arabic Music Ensemble of “Just Sing” from the Trolls World Tour.

“The Performing Arts Program has been extensively involved in the AUS Silver Jubilee celebrations, most notably the recent collaboration to compose and perform the AUS anthem, which was performed for the first time at the AUS Alumni Dinner and in many other events that followed. Training for the concert involved many hours of rehearsals since the beginning of the semester. Each group met at different times of the week inside and outside the classroom,” said Dr. Agha.

Composed of the children of AUS faculty and staff members, the newly formed AUS Children’s Choir rehearsed once a week for almost an hour.

“The children really enjoyed making music together. They found new friends and opened up as individuals, growing with more confidence through singing. I started this choir, as I believe the youth need the performing arts more than ever in their daily lives. As Plato rightfully said: ‘Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.’ This world cannot function without the beauty of music in a world already full of natural sound. It is my hope that our youth share this thought through the joy and community of song,” said Dr. Qudourah.

The AUS Performing Arts Program provides students from any major program the opportunity to explore personal creativity. With myriad opportunities to take leadership roles and develop the soft skills necessary for success in the real world, this program is a place to nurture creativity and develop strong and effective decision-making and leadership skills.

For more information about the AUS Performing Arts Program, visit www.aus.edu/cas/performing-arts-program.