Amr Diab and Sherihan Mourn Ratiba el-Hefny, Celebrated Opera Singer

Pioneer opera singer and prolific musician Ratiba el-Hefny passed away this Monday evening at 82. Her passing has no doubt had an impact on contemporary artists. Amr Diab and Sherihan used social media to mourn the loss of el-Hefny, who up until her death held the presidency of the Arab Society for Music, a body associated with the Arab League.

Diab wrote on Twitter, “To God we belong and to Him we return, God bless my professor Ratiba el-Hefny, may she rest in peace.” Sherihan wrote, “To God we belong and to Him we return, #Ratiba el-Hefny, a creative Egyptian woman, international opera singer, dean of the Institute of Arabic Music, first woman to serve as head of the Egyptian Opera House.”

El-Hefny studied at the Faculty of Music Education in Cairo, where she learned the piano, the qanoun and the oud. In her 20s, she became rector of the Institute of Arabic Music, and ten odd years later was promoted to dean of the institute. Intent on fortifying infrastructures for the arts in Egypt, El-Hefny then established the first children's choir in Egypt, the Oum Koulthoum Ensemble for Arabic Music, as well as the National Arabic Music Ensemble.

She then studied operatic singing and folkloric arts in Berlin, Germany, making her the first Egyptian opera singer to receive a diploma from an international music institution. Until the end of her life, El-Hefny continued her work with educational programs, the Arab Society for Music, and the Cairo Opera House, which she was the first woman to head.

The funeral will take place on Tuesday at the Opera Mosque following the afternoon prayers, according to Al Ahram’s Arabic service. For more on her impressive achievements and life story, see Al-Ahram's link.