Hailed by Hamburger Abendblatt as” her singing is the most beautiful thing human vocal cords can produce” Dima (b.1975) is an established and seasoned performer, recorded artist, and collaborator with renowned international musicians. Dima holds an M.M. in opera performance from The Boston Conservatory, and B.M. in Voice & Clarinet from the Damascus High Institute of Music. She studied with Rebecca Folsom, Galena Khaldieva, Shauna Beesley, Mia Besselink , Anatoly Moratof & Victor Babenko. Having learned clarinet as a second instrument; she brings an instrument player’s sensibility to her vocalizations, adding to the magic of her performances.
Her approach to music is culturally nuanced, forging together diverse influences—from classical, to jazz, to Middle Eastern music. Her musical renditions are constantly evolving, and her interaction with the music ever more sophisticated.
Dima appeared as a soloist in the Middle East, Europe and USA on world-class stages, such as The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, The Millennium stage at The Kennedy Centre, The Opera Bastille and Theatre de la Ville in Paris, Bimhuis Amsterdam, Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, The Media Park of Cologne, Margravial Opera House – Bayreuth, The Library of Congress, Brucknerhaus in Linz, Bozar in Brussels, The National Theater in Taipei & The National Theater in Almaty Kazakhstan and Damascus Opera House. She performed with NDR Big Band, Metropole Orkest, Orchestre Royale de Chambre de Wallomie, Musica Alta Ripa, Capella de la Torre, Osnabrück Symphony, members of Chicago Symphony, Morgenland Festival Orchestra, Boston Conservatory Orchestra, as well as the Syrian Symphony Orchestra. She also shared the stage with some phenomenal musicians—like Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble , Jivan Gasparian, Nuria Rial, Valer Sabadus, Manfred Leuchter, Michel Godard, Salman Gambarov, Aynur, Adam Baldych , Kinan Azmeh, Jasser Haj Youssef and many others.
Dima’s musical interests and explorations are not limited to performing alone; she has also composed for TV, Radio, Theater and Cinema since 1993. She is a member of “Leish Troupe for Movement Theatre” as a composer and singer. Dima also composed and arranged music for many short films in addition to one feature film, “Under The Ceiling,” directed by Nidal Al-Debs in 2005 , and three documentaries “Love Boat” & “Newcomers” directed by Maan Mouslli in 2016 & 2018 and “A Comedian in a Syrian Tragedy” in 2019 directed by Rami Farah.
Dima’s forte remains as a performing artist, however—whether in solo performances, or in collaborative efforts. She is a member of “Hewar Trio” with whom she released three albums last of which was “Letters to a Homeland” in 2012. She is also a founding member of DIO Trio, with which she is currently extensively performing. As a solo artist, her first solo album was “Arabic Lieder,” composed by Gazwan Zerikly and released in 2008. In 2017 Dima was featured in “Sing Me Home”, the Best World Music Grammy Award winning album by Yo-Yo Ma and The SilkRoad Ensemble. Dima was one of six collaborators which included the legendary Tina Turner, performing in the album “Awakening Beyond” released on November 10, 2017. Last but not least, in addition to her new solo album “Hidwa: Lullabies for Troubled Times” released in spring 2019, Dima ’s new collaboration with the Spanish renowned soprano Nuria Rial and Musica Alta Ripa in the project “Mother” was released in spring 2019 and was nominated for Opus Klassik award 2020.Now Dima is touring with the Opera”Woman at Point Zero” all around the world since its premier in Aix en provence in July 2022.