Fatma Said

Soprano Fatma Said racked up prestigious prizes during her training years and became the first Egyptian singer to perform at Italy’s La Scala opera house. She was signed to the major Warner Classics label in 2019. Her debut album, El Nour (2020), contained elements of Egyptian music. In 2024, she was heard with countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński on a recording of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. Said was born in Cairo in 1991. Her father, Ahmed Hassan Said, was an Egyptian opposition politician. Said attended a German school operated by the Sisters of Mercy of St. Borromeo, a Catholic organization, and then she began taking voice lessons with Neveen Allouba at the Cairo Opera House. She immediately showed talent, appearing at a Christmas concert just three months later. Said entered the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin in 2009, studying with Renate Faltin and earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees there. Late in her time at the school, she began giving recitals and attracting attention for performances, including those at the 2013 Schumann Festival in Bonn. Said earned a scholarship to the International Opera Studio at La Scala in Milan, and while she was there, she appeared as Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, K. 620, becoming the first Egyptian to appear on the venerable La Scala stage. From 2016 to 2018, Said was a BBC New Generation Artist, an honor that led to appearances at prestigious venues such as the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Shangyin Opera House in Shanghai, and the Berlin Konzerthaus. Said has also appeared at festivals such as the International Music Festival in Bad Kissingen, Germany, and the Turgutreis International Classical Music Festival in Turkey. She has amassed a varied repertory, including Italian, German, and French works. Said has been heard on several operatic recordings and was signed to the Warner Classics label in 2019 as a solo artist. In 2020, she released her debut album, El Nour, which featured pieces by French, Spanish, and Egyptian composers, as well as Egyptian folk and popular songs. Said issued the highly varied recital Kaleidoscope on Warner Classics in 2022. She moved to Erato in 2024 for Orlínski’s recording of Orfeo ed Euridice, in which she sang the role of Amore. ~ James Manheim