Ratiba El-Hefny

Ratiba Hefny (Arabic رتيبة الحفنى ) (born 1931 in Cairo, Egypt, died 16 September 2013) was an Egyptian and an international Opera singer (Soprano) who has performed in more than 500 opera performances.^[1] She was the dean of the Higher Institute of Arabic Music in Cairo. She became the director of the Cairo Opera House in 1988.

She grew up in a musical family, her father Mohamed Ahmed El-Hefny has written more than 45 books on music, and her grandmother to her mother was of a German origin, who also was a German opera singer. Ratiba started playing the piano at the age of five.

She also gave her singing voice to Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Education

• Diploma, Higher Institute for music teachers (College of Music Education at present), in 1950.
• Post-graduate studies in folklore from the Humboldt University of Berlin, from 1954 until 1968.
• Diploma majoring in education and the leadership of the choir of the Institute of operatic singing in Kreiner,Luxembourg, Germany, in 1955.
• The highest qualification specialization in operatic singing from the Higher School of Music in Munich, Germany, in 1955, (the Egyptian equivalent of a doctorate).

Career

• Lecturer at the Graduate Institute for music teachers, in 1950.
• Assignment of the rector at the Institute of Arabic music (Section of girls) in the process of the establishment of the first, in 1951.
• Management of the Deanship of the Institute and was subsequently transferred to the Higher Institute of Arabic music, and in 1962 was appointed to the post of Dean of the Institute after it became a subsidiary of the Ministry of Culture, and the Academy of Arts for 29 years
• President of House of Music and artistic Opera in 1980.
• Reappointment Dean of the Higher Institute of Arabic music, in 1986.
• President of the National Cultural Center (Cairo Opera House) from June 1988 until March 1990.
• Full-time professor of the Academy of Arts (Higher Institute of Arabic music).
• Technical Adviser to the Chairman of the Committee on National Cultural Center (cairo Opera House).
• President of The Arab Society for Music of the League of Arab States.
• Member of the National Specialized Councils.
• Supervisor of the Center for Talent Development of cairo Opera House.

Achievements

• Established the first choir children in Egypt, in 1961.
• Umm Kulthum Ensemble for Arabic music.
• Established of religious songs Ensemble.
• Founded the National Arab Music Ensemble.
• Founded Cairo Opera Children's Choir.
• Contributed to the establishment of the Higher Institute of Musical Art (Kuwait) for a period of 13 years.

The scientific literature

it has many of the works, including:

• The Solfege, Kuwait, in 1977.
• Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Cairo, 1991.
• Soft music encyclopedia for children (part 50), Egypt - Lebanon, in 1992.
• Mohamed El Qasabgi.
• Supervision of the music in the second program of the Egyptian radio in 1957 until 1960.
• The preparation and submission of the global music TV program since 1960.
• Preparation of a series of music education for children consist of 30 programes by name of the lost tune.*Preparation and *presented a music program in Egyptian television for 22 years.
• Participation in the tournament Operas roles in Egypt and in some capitals of Europe and America.
• Preparation of lyrical images of flags, especially music and singing of (Mohamed El Qasabgi- Sayed Darwish- Sayed Mekawy ), within the Arab Music Festival.

Awards and honors

Egypt State Incentive Prize in Arts and Letters of the Supreme Council of Culture, in 2004.

References

External links

• The National Arabic Music Ensemble Official web site
• Cairo Opera House Official web site
• Article published in Ahram Online and Al-Ahram Weekly: The life and times of an Arab soprano: Ratiba El-Hefny and The Merry Widow

See also

• Cairo Opera House
• List of Egyptians

Vocal music
Types · Genres	Singing Choral Opera Lied Vocables
Voice classification	Voice type Fach Non-classical music
Concepts · Techniques	Coloratura Chest voice Falsetto Head voice Passaggio Quintus Sprechgesang Tessitura Timbre Vocal pedagogy Vocal range Vocal register Vocal resonation Vocal weight Death growl
Sound equipment (for popular music styles)	Microphone Monitor speaker In-ear monitor Pitch correction Sound reinforcement system