Background
In February 2023, MTP brought London-based Egyptian singer and screen composer Hayat Selim to Canberra for a one week residency. During this week, Hayat stayed with Dianna Nixon at her home in Gunning, NSW, and they travelled to and from the ACT where they undertook a week of activities. This included a free masterclass that we gave at the ANU School of Music, an on-air performance and interview with ABC Radio Canberra, meetings with a variety of interested parties regarding the development of the musical Camelia and a concert at The Street.
Donors to our Australian Cultural Fund campaign, as well as support from artsACT, helped make this week happen. Also, we were given lots of support by The Street, and hosted warmly by staff at the ANU School of Music.
Project Status
Hayat Selim curated a beautiful program of her work – including some of her original songs, as well as arrangements of works from cinema and some created for immersive museum installations. We titled the concert – Mirage – after one of Hayat’s great original songs.
Dianna Nixon was collaborative accompanist and project manager for the residency.
We want to bring this concert programme to Sydney and Melbourne, and return to Canberra. It will be of interest to members of the Egyptian communities in both cities, to those interested in music theatre and screen composition, and lovers of great music.
Collaborators
Learn more about Hayat Selim by visiting her website:
Technical requirements
We require a small to medium sized theatre with a good acoustic, a miked concert grand piano, mic and stand for Hayat, mic and boom stand for Dianna, and some tracks require playback accompaniments. All mixed through a quality sound system with foldback, and some mood lighting.
Important dates and activities
We hope to find dates in Sydney (at Riverside Theatre) and Melbourne (venue tbc), and return to The Street in Canberra.
We have several funding apps pending. Let’s hope we can make it happen.
