BIOGRAPHY

Yasmina Sabbah is a Lebanese choir and orchestra conductor who holds a Masters of Music in Conducting from the University of Cambridge. As one of the only female orchestra conductors in the MENA region, it remains her mission to break stereotypes by using her platform to elevate the image of Middle Eastern women in leadership positions and to empower young musical talents by fostering an open and inclusive mindset through the power of music.

Sabbah has been leading the USJ Choir since its inception in 2015, championing it into one of the region’s premier choirs. She has cultivated and fostered the choir’s artistic vision and programming, earning a reputation for bold, eclectic, and distinctive selections. Sabbah has also produced her own signature concerts which revisit popular music for chorus and orchestra, blending classical and modern music, as well as innovative shows like “Symphonic Rock” and “Next Stop: Broadway”.

In July 2021, Sabbah was appointed as the 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 and performing a varied repertoire from classical western symphonic works to oriental and newly commissioned pieces. The orchestra, under Sabbah’s baton, has performed at the Expo Dubai Opening Ceremony with international stars such as Andrea Bocelli, Hussain Al Jassmi, Anoushka Shankar, Christina Aguilera among others. 

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.