In progress:

Sharing horizons

Caroline Dumas is a renowned opera singer and a highly reputed voice and song teacher at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. She has given master classes at the Cairo Opera House and the Cairo Conservatoire for 12 years

I have always been thrilled by the beautiful voices of Egyptian opera singers. So much so, that when in 1997-1998 official bodies in France and Egypt decided to organise a joint cultural year under the title "Shared Horizons", I was happy to bring about the participation of Egyptian singers in most of the title roles of the opera to be produced at the Cairo Opera House. At the time, you see, the Association Française d'Action Artistique (AFAA), the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French Cultural Centre in Cairo, decided to produce Jules Massenet's three-act Thais; and the French authorities in charge informed me that we would be auditioning French signers -- to which I replied that my long experience with Egyptian singers had revealed excellent voices and that there would be no need for French singers. Egyptian singers could cover most of the title roles.

I was told that was fine, but that they would have to be auditioned by Patrick Fournillier, who would be conducting the Cairo Opera Orchestra and would also be in charge of the music. People came over from France to assess the singers in question and they conceded my view. They also concluded that it would be necessary for them to assimilate the French style of singing, which is different from the Italian style to which they were used. At the time, I was responsible for the choice of the singers participating in this gigantic French production: we had soprano Iman Moustafa in the title role of Thais, tenor Hassan Kami in the role of Nicias; bass-baritone Reda El-Wakil was Palémon, soprano Mona Rafla sang the part of Crobyle, mezzo-soprano Hanan El-Guindi was Albine, alto Hala El-Shabouri was Myrtale and baritone Hossam Moustafa sang the part of the servant. As you can see, we had only one foreigner among the singers: Evgenij Demerjiev, from Bulgaria, who sang the title role, Athanael. I was asked to train the singers and we worked very hard; so hard that when the performances of Thais were over -- and, as you know, they were extremely successful -- I was asked by the Cairo Opera House to work with other singers, giving master classes on a regular basis. Our work usually culminates in a major performance: an opera or a gala concert. Some of the singers even wind up with a scholarship, while others find their way to fame and glory in France and elsewhere.

As you know, it is no secret to anyone that I have always been in love with Egypt, which is probably due to my origins, since I was born in Morocco and have toured most of the Arab countries, singing in the main cities. So, when I was appointed professor of vocal technique and interpretation at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, where we have students from all over the world, and where in my own class I had 25 students from Japan, Korea, the United States, Italy, Columbia and several other countries, I always thought it would be lovely to have students from Egypt. And then, one fine day, Iman Moustafa arrived, saying, "I am Egyptian." She had earned a scholarship. I thought, miracles do happen after all. In the same year, her sister, Inas Abdel-Dayem, had a scholarship to study the flute at the Ecole Normale, where we have an excellent class for that instrument. The two ladies were charming, Iman was quite happy with her vocal lessons, and they decided it would be interesting to ask me to come to Cairo from time to time to give master classes at the Conservatoire. That was how it started.

As you know, the second singer to get a scholarship from Paris was Reda El-Wakil, who in the meantime made quite a name for himself abroad. He worked for two years in my class, won several first prizes including the Grand Prix at the international competition in Toulouse in 1994 and the First Prize at the Placido Domingo National Competition, at the Bastille in 1994, before going on an international career. Another singer who came to Paris was tenor Georges Wanis, who sang the main role in Georges Bizet's opera Les Pêcheurs de Perles: all these are hard workers who take their singing career very seriously, and who are students of their brilliant professor Violette Maker. I am telling you all this because, as you know, the wealth of a country is in its culture, and I believe that, if an Egyptian opera singer upholds the name of Egypt in a foreign country, it is an honour for Egypt. This is the case with Reda El-Wakil, who is an honour to his Egyptian name and his Egyptian heritage not only in Europe, but also in the United States, where he sang lately.

I believe I am the only foreign teacher who is not only giving master classes, but also helping singers in their career on foreign stages, introducing them to the right impresarios. Reda El-Wakil, for example, is already singing at the Opéra Bastille, and recently it was soprano Amira Selim's turn; now in Paris, she is extremely promising. There was Mona Rafla -- I think she came to Paris in 1996, when the Cairo Opera House produced Bizet's Pearl Fishers. And there are many others: baritone Moustafa Mohamed, who was a very good Scarpia in Tosca; bass-baritone Abdel-Wahab El Sayed... I know you won't have enough space to mention all the names. But believe me, they have such voices.

Of course I'd like to continue working with the Cairo Opera's singers. My concern, however, is that singers must understand that having a beautiful voice represents only 20 per cent of the story, while technique represents 80 per cent, and technique only comes with hard, hard work. What is the use of a beautiful voice when you don't know how to sing? Unfortunately, most of the singers believe they can sing because they have lovely voices, but they soon discover that this is not the case. Singing requires a lot of work. I would therefore advise them to be ready when I come for 15 days every three months, and to take my classes seriously. I assure you that with six or seven hours' daily work, any singer is capable of achieving miracles.