Who Is She

Personal information

Actress, Composer, Director, Singer, Poet
Jahida Wehbe

Contact information / Private

Contact information / Work

Phone: 
961 1 688208
Fax: 
961 1 688208
Mobile: 
961 3 348627

Education

Education: 
  • Master's degree, Acting and Directing, 2003, School of Fine Arts, Lebanese University, Lebanon.
  • Diploma in Oriental Songs, Syriac chant, Qura'nic recitals, and 'ud (Middle Eastern lute), 2002, Lebanese National Conservatory of Music, Lebanon.
  • Bachelor degree, Psychology, 2002, Lebanese University, Lebanon.

Areas of expertise

Expertise: 
  • Singing
  • Acting
  • Reading Poetry
  • Composing
  • Directing
Languages: 
  • Arabic
  • English
  • French

Work history

Jobs: 
  • Freelance Poet, Orator, Singer, Songwriter, and Actress (theater, television, and films), 2002 - present.

Honorary office and memberships

  • Member of the Professional Musicians Syndicate in Lebanon.
  • Member of the Society of Authors, Composers, and Music publishers of Lebanon (SACEM).

Productions

Publications highlights: 
  • Wehbe, J. (2013). Shahd [CD]
  • Wehbe, J. (2009). Ayyouha el nesyan habni koublatak [Oh forgetfulness grant me your kiss] [CD], part of Ahlam Mostaganemi’s book NESYAN.com. Beirut.

     

  • Wehbe, J. (2007). Katabtany [You wrote me] [CD]. Beirut.
Major achievements: 
  • Singing and/or composing classical, Sufi, and national pieces, with lyrics in some cases selected from poems written by prominent Lebanese and international, classical and contemporary poets; & performing pieces the music for which was composed by prominent musicians including Wadih el Safi, Elie Choueiri, Zad Multaka, Ziad Boutros and others ...
  • Honoring some of the most prominent classical Arabic singers such as Umm Kulthum, Wadih Safi, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Asmahan, Sayed Darwish, Mohammed Abd al-Muttalib, Fayrouz ... by singing their songs.
  • Organizing many poetry evenings, performing songs that were written by Lebanese, Arab, and international prominent poets like Ibn Arabi, Adawiya, Jalaluddin Rumi, Badr Shaker Al-Sayab, Nazik Al-Malaika, Gibran, Goethe, Tagore, Sartorius, Adonis , Mahmoud Darwish; and composing the music for some of these songs.
  • Representing Lebanon in several seminars and events such as:
    - The Cultural Arabic Festival in Europe
    Alrouwwad Al’ Arab [Arab Pioneers] Festival sponsored by the Arab League
    - The Arab Music Festival in Cairo Opera House
    - Jarash Festival in Jordan
    - Santa Cecelia Festival in Rome (first Arab singer to sing at this festival)
    - Frankfurt’s Book Festival in Germany
    - Arab Women's Excellence Forum in Istanbul
    - Fez Sufi Hymnals held in Morocco (one of the world's most important festivals).
  • First record-breaking album titled [You wrote me] launched in 2007 included musical compositions of her own and songs with lyrics by Gunther Grass (Nobel Prize in Litterature 1999), Ahlam Mustaghanmi, Unsi El Hajj, Talal Haidar, Amal Al Jiboury, Lamee'ah Amara, Al Hallaj, and Abu Firas Al Hamadani.
Exhibitions, lectures & performances: 

Featuring as the leading actor and singer in several avant-garde plays directed by Lebanese and Arab Directors:

  • "Ounshoudat al Matar" directed by Jawad Al Assadi, 2006.
  •  "Ayyam Ruba’iyat Al Khayyam" play produced by Baalbek International Festival, 2005.
  • "Sakhrat Tanios" directed by Gerard Avedissian, 1998.

Awards and Distinctions

Awards: 
  • Awarded the first prize at the Lebanese University for her film Rassasa Farigha [Void Bullet].
  • The Arab Pioneers and Innovators Festival Award.
  • Best 2000 educated people - The University of Cambridge 2013
  • One of the best singers - ESCWA