Draft:Noor Al Qassim

NOOR AL QASSIM Early Life Noor Al Qassim was born in Manama, the capital city of Bahrain. She resides in Vienna, Austria, which is considered the global capital of music. Noor’s family is renowned in the fields of medicine and surgery; however, being the youngest sibling, she chose a different path and did not pursue medicine. She began playing the piano at the age of four, receiving her initial piano lessons in Bahrain under the guidance of several teachers, including Professor Rumyana Ganova (Bulgaria), who was the most influential figure in inspiring Noor’s passion for the piano, especially the works of Frédéric Chopin. Later, she continued her education under Dr. Miglena Apostolova (Bulgaria). She studied music theory, harmony, counterpoint, music analysis, solfège, music history, acoustics, instrumental studies, chamber music, piano accompaniment, and other related topics before deciding to continue her education in Europe. She was accepted into the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, the Royal Conservatory of Belgium, and chose to study at the Vienna Conservatory of Music and Performing Arts in Austria under the supervision of Professor Ralf Heiber (Germany) and Professor Somi Cho (South Korea). She was among a select few students worldwide to be admitted to the conservatory after passing the entrance examination. Noor graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management, with a specialization in Commercial Law, from the Canadian University in Bahrain, which was established in collaboration with McMaster University in Toronto. She worked as a legal consultant for leading firms such as Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and KPMG before relocating to Vienna. ________________________________________ Achievements In 2000, Noor won the first prize in a music competition organized by Bahrain's Ministry of Education for secondary school students. She was selected to represent Bahrain in Amman, Jordan, at the Queen Noor Al-Hussein Foundation’s arts festival, where she received the Excellence Award presented by Queen Noor Al-Hussein herself. Later, she was consistently chosen by the Ministry of Culture to take lessons with German pianist Isabel Hohage and was subsequently invited to perform regularly at Bahrain International Music Festivals. ________________________________________ Education • 2005: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management (Commercial Law), Bahrain. • 2011: Undergraduate diploma in Piano Performance, Austria. • 2013: Postgraduate diploma in Piano Performance, Austria. • 2018: Austrian Higher Diploma in Piano Performance (specialization in Performance), Austria. • 2012–2013: Studied at the Jan Albrecht Academy of Music and Arts in Slovakia, specializing in the Philosophy of Music and Aesthetics, under the guidance of Professors Veronika Lovranova, Egon Krák, Suzana Martinakova, and Professor Svarik. Noor graduated in 2018 from the Vienna Conservatory of Music and Performing Arts, obtaining the Austrian License for Postgraduate Studies in Piano (Performance Specialization) under the supervision of Austrian Professor Elisabeth Pullmann. She also holds a master’s degree in EU Law and Project Management and regularly writes articles on European affairs in Bahrain's Al-Bilad newspaper. ________________________________________ International Performances In 2010, Noor won first prize in Bahrain’s Chopin Competition, organized by the Chopin Society in Warsaw, Poland, as part of the celebrations marking Chopin’s 200th birth anniversary. She was invited to compete in the Gulf Chopin Competition in Kuwait, where she earned the Excellence Award and additional special prizes. Later, she was invited by Polish pianist Pawel Kowalski, a jury member of the competition, to take piano lessons under his mentorship. Between 2002 and 2011, Noor signed contracts with Bahrain’s Ministry of Culture to perform classical music concerts. She has performed with: • The European Union Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Matthias Vollong. • The Minsk Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Belarusian Maestro Eugene Osnovich. • Bahrain Orchestra, under Maestro Khalifa Ziman. She also collaborated with Azerbaijani qanun player Khumar Alakbarova and Lebanese pianist Wassim Qaisi. Noor has participated in prominent music festivals, including: • Málaga Piano Festival, Spain (2003). • Amsterdam International Piano Festival, Netherlands (2003). • Istanbul Piano Forum, Turkey (2009). • Asilah International Cultural Festival, Morocco (2006, 2018). • Bahrain Cultural Days, UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai, 2004). She has also been invited for royal performances, including playing piano at Safriya Palace in Bahrain upon the invitation of Her Royal Highness Queen Sabeeka Al Khalifa, in the presence of Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak. Noor was honored by the Supreme Council for Women in Bahrain for her efforts in supporting women’s empowerment. In 2014, Noor was invited to perform at the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman, on Omani Women’s Day. Her performance received positive reviews from Omani media, press, and television. She was honored by Oman’s Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Rawya bint Saud Al Busaidiyah. ________________________________________ Teaching and Projects Noor served as a piano and music theory professor at the Vienna Conservatory for 11 years. She was later invited to the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center (Kuwait Opera House) as a professor and curriculum coordinator, where she taught piano, solfège, and music theory. She initiated the “Sound and Movement” project, collaborating with Peruvian choreographer Alberto Rosas Rondinelli and Austrian ballet trainer Brigette Rosas Rondinelli. This project focused on choreographing piano music for tango dancers, ballet, and modern free dance. Noor has worked closely with UNESCO’s International Council for Traditional Music and was selected to perform with the Earth Orchestra under British composer George Fenton, recording Together is Beautiful at Universal Music Studios. ________________________________________ Advocacy and Recognition Noor is an advocate for: • Fighting discrimination. • Education for children. • Promoting music education. • Women’s rights, democracy, and empowerment. • Freedom of artistic expression. In 2006, Noor joined Bahraini musicians in protesting against parliament's criticism of Lebanese composer Marcel Khalife’s Majnoun Layla. Noor performed at a solidarity concert in support of Khalife’s artistic freedom, attended by the composer himself and Bahrain’s Minister of Culture, Sheikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa. ________________________________________ Significant Performances in Bahrain • Me and Chopin (2004). • Arabic Classics (2006). • Eastern Harmonies – Azeri Folklore (2009). • The Poet of Piano – Frédéric Chopin (2010). • Waves from the Mediterranean to the Arabian Gulf (2024) – Performed with the Italian Philharmonic Orchestra under Maestro Giuseppe Monopoli. ________________________________________ International Teaching and Media Presence Noor’s biography has been featured in: • Faces in the Lamps of Memory by Issac Sheikh Yacoub. • When I Met the Stars by Fatima Al Mubarak. She has also been covered by Monte Carlo Radio, Agence France-Presse, River West Radio (USA), Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anbaa, and Bahraini publications including Al-Ayam, Akhbar Al Khaleej, Al-Wasat, and Al-Watan, as well as Bahrain and Austrian TV. Noor Al Qassim continues to inspire as a cultural ambassador, pianist, and advocate for music and the arts on an international scale.