Rima Khcheich
Rima Khcheich, vocals
Yuri Honing, saxophone
Maarten van der Grinten, guitar
Tony Overwater, double bass
Joost Lijbaart, drums
Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich is a rising star of the Middle east. As a succesor of Feiruz, the famous Lebanese singer, Rima offers a new perspective to young lebanese audiences. In 1998 Rima first worked with the Yuri Honing trio where she met Tony Overwater. Since then, she and Tony have been working together creating a unique new style in Arab musical culture. The music is a beautiful fusion between traditional and modern Arab songs with contemporary western arrangements.
On her solo debut Yalalalli, Khcheich transgressed tradition, recording an Arabic muwashah with Tony for the first time. This has led to a duo project which is receiving huge interest – audiences actually shout out for the duo pieces at concerts. Her second cd Falak has been well received troughout the Arab world and has become a new standard in Arab singing, arranging and recording. The arrangements of modern and traditional Arab songs made by Tony Overwater and guitarist Maarten van der Grinten are a perfect blend of Arab lyrisism and western musical harmony.
Rima Khcheich started singing at the age of seven, and two years later she became a member of the Arab orchestra and choral in Beirut under the direction of Salim Sahhab. At the age of eleven, she became a soloist with Sahhab’s group, singing the most difficult repertoire in Arabic vocal music. A graduate of The Lebanese National Conservatory of Music and The Lebanese American University, Rima has performed in live performances throughout the Middle East, Europe and the USA specializing in Arab-Andalusian Muwashshahat form, and 19th & 20th century Arabic traditional vocal repertoires. Since 1999, Rima Khcheich is an instructor of Classical Arabic Singing at The Lebanese National Superior Conservatory of Music in Beirut and has been a faculty member of the Annual Arabic Music Retreat at Mount Holyoke College.
More information at www.rimakhcheich.com.