Ramadaniyyat: Naïssam Jalal and Hazem Shaheen

Naïssam Jalal
Vertiginous flautist, vocalist, and prolific composer, Naïssam Jalal shines through her ability to forge links between different musical cultures and aesthetic fields. Through encounters, imaginaries, and memories, she presents a unique work for each new creation. She deconstructs borders and invents a singular language that invites us to open up to multiple horizons.

Naïssam Jalal has received many prestigious awards, including the Grand Prix de l’Académie Charles Cros 2017, the Victoire du Jazz (French Grammy) in 2019 (+ 4 nominations), the Prix des Musiques d’ICI 2020, and the Premier Prix Jazz at the International Songwriting Competition 2022. In 2023, she was made a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters and Women of Culture. In 2024, Naïssam Jalal was named best French flutist by Jazz Magazine and Jazz News for the third time following her election in 2021 and 2023.

Leading 4 groups, Naïssam Jalal travels the world, sharing intimate and moving experiences with her public. Over the course of her 10 albums, she has established herself as one of the leading figures on the contemporary jazz scene, unveiling a personal and vibrant musical universe that gives new meaning to the word freedom.

Hazem Shaheen
Hazem Shaheen is an oud player, singer, and composer from Egypt. He studied at the Institute for Arab Music and the Arab Oud House, where he subsequently taught for five years. He then taught oud at the Cairo Opera House. In 2001, he won Best Oud Musician in the Middle East at the Arab Oud House’s international competition in Beirut. He founded the band Eskenderella in 2005, which released the album A New Page (2014). On his own, Hazem released two other albums: Bread and Salt (2007) and Things I Miss (2008). In 2018, he released the album Liqaa in collaboration with Naïssam Jalal, produced by the Institut du Monde Arabe, which contains three of his compositions. He played alongside Ziyad al-Rahbani at the Cairo International Jazz Festival in 2013, as well as at the Beirut Holidays Festival in 2014 and the Beiteddine Festival in 2018. 

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By car: Take Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan St/E10, Al Mina, and Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed St/E12 to Laffan St. Exit at Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed St/E12. Continue on Laffan Street to your destination. GPS navigation is advised. 

By public transportation: You can take bus 170 (Al Saadiyat New York< University Via Abu Dhabi) to the Saadiyat New York University 3 bus stop and take a short walk from there. 

By taxi: You can easily reach your destination via taxi or by using a ride-hailing app.