BIOGRAPHY

Yasmina Sabbah is a Lebanese choir and orchestra conductor who holds a Masters of Music in Conducting from the University of Cambridge.

In July 2021, Yasmina Sabbah was appointed as conductor of the Firdaus Orchestra, a pioneering all-female musical ensemble developed exclusively for Expo 2020 Dubai under the patronage of Oscar-Winner A.R. Rahman. Set to perform at all major events and celebrations at the Expo, the orchestra brings together musicians of 23 nationalities from the MENA region to create an innovative sound by merging Western, Eastern, and Oriental instruments. The repertoire includes a vast array of music genres and styles from Symphonic works to Arabic music, Indian music, Hollywood themes, Bollywood themes, Qawwali, Music Theatre (to name a few) and commissioned compositions and unique arrangements by AR Rahman. Sabbah also collaborated and conducted alongside global music icons Andrea Bocelli, Christina Aguilera, Anoushka Shankar and Hussain Al Jassmi.

Sabbah is also the Director of Music at the Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth and has led the Choeur de l’USJ since 2016. Founded in 2015 by Pr. Salim Daccache s.j., the USJ Choir has grown to include over seventy singers. Sabbah also directs the Ensemble Vocal Baroque de l’USJ, an advanced chamber choir specialized in early music. She has curated and conducted a large and varied repertoire ranging from Baroque to Contemporary music, most notably performances of Vaughan Williams’s “Dona Nobis Pacem”, Mozart’s “Requiem”, Handel’s “Messiah”, Haydn’s “Nelson Mass”, J.S. Bach’s “St. John Passion”, Jenkins’ “The Armed Man” along with many others. Increasingly recognized and praised for its nuanced musical interpretations, the USJ Choir places significant emphasis on musicality, meticulously shaded dynamics, and articulation. As a result, in its now seventh year, the choir has already earned its place next to the leading choirs in the region. 

In 2019, Sabbah made her debut conducting the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, and has been a guest conductor since. She was then  elected as President of the Jeunesses Musicales du Liban, a member of Jeunesses Musicales Internationales (JMI), the largest youth music NGO in the World.

In parallel to her conducting career, Sabbah has also been very active as an educator, her work aiming to have a hand in forming better citizens by focusing on the advancement of music education in the region and creating equal opportunities and platforms for young students in learning music and sharing in musical experiences. She has taught at the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University and has led the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music Children and Youth Choirs. 

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

  • “Quant à la direction de Yasmina Sabbah..On ne peut que rester subjugué par une telle énergie, une telle puissnce qui n’exclut absolument pas (bien au contraire!) le raffinement. Le jeune cheffe mène la centaine de musiciens qui sont sur scène avec une impressionnante maîtrise et une fermeté alliée à une grâce aérienne.”

  • “À la baguette, la chef Yasmina Sabbah, comme pour le confirmer, avec l’air des jours de fronde, que la ‘thaoura’ est femme…”

  • On Yasmina Sabbah’s concert ‘African Sanctus’: “This is the most stunning performance of my brother’s work, African Sanctus. I had the great pleasure to discuss it with the conductor, Yasmina Sabbah, today and everyone involved should be congratulated on producing a very unique version of this iconic work.” - James Fanshawe (brother of the composer), David Fanshawe – July 2023

  • “Il est rare d’entendre de la musique baroque vocale à Beyrouth. Et quand elle est interprétée de façon aussi remarquable que ce qui été offert par le chœur de l’USJ, la joie est à son comble”

  • نضع ما تقدّم في محاولة لاجلاء القيم المضافة في تجربة ياسمينا الصبّاح واوركسترا "فردوس" وقد يصّح تأطيرها في منحى تاريخي، اذ قطعت الشابة اللبنانية أشواطاً زمنية وثقافية هامة في إنضاج القطعة الموسيقية من خلال تأويل اوركسترالي اخّاذ، بداية واعدة هيأّها "إكسبو دبي" لترتقي الاوركسترا العربية بأيادي وإيماءات سيدتها نحو مستوى فنّي عالمي

  • “A cette justesse du propos, la présence de l’Orchestre philharmonique du Liban donne un relief de couleurs chatoyantes sous la direction de Yasmina Sabbah, aussi remarquable en cheffe de chœur que d’orchestre.”

  • ياسمينا صبّاح، تساهم في كسر الصورة النمطية للمرأة وتؤكد على نجاح النساء في مواقع القيادة. لقد أبدعت في قيادة الأوركسترا الفلهرمونية اللبنانية وجوقة جامِعَة القِدِّيس يُوسُف في حفل موسيقي رائع

  • On Yasmina Sabbah’s concert MisaTango (translated): “Sharing this excellent version of the Mass in Buenos Aires in Lebanon. Congratulations to Director Yasmina Sabbah and the entire cast. Great interpretive quality.”

    -Martín Palmeri, Composer of MisaTango - January 2022

 

Listen up on apple music.

A piece that breaks free from classical form and sits as one of music’s most timeless masterpieces; AR Rahman’s orchestral arrangement of Beethoven’s "Moonlight Sonata” (I. Adagio sostenuto), conducted by Yasmina Sabbah and performed by the Firdaus Orchestra, Dubai’s first all-women symphony orchestra.

Listen up on apple music.

A piece that breaks free from classical form and sits as one of music’s most timeless masterpieces; Yasmina Sabbah’s orchestral arrangement of the “Adagio sostenuto” played by the Firdaus Orchestra, Dubai’s first all-women symphony orchestra.