Rima Khcheich is among the rare singers in Lebanon and the Arab world today, who works from the original and traditional Arabic music since her childhood. The Kennedy Center says: “Rima Khcheich was born in Khiam, South Lebanon, in 1974. She started singing classical Arabic music at the age of nine, and was awarded the bronze medal at the Bizert Festival for the Mediterranean Song in Tunisia in 1985. Her singing career began with the children's choir at the Arabic Cultural Club, and later evolved into a solo performance with the Beirut Oriental Troop for Arabic Music under the supervision and direction of Maestro Salim Sahab. Khcheich studied the traditions of classical Arabic singing at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music in Beirut, where her efforts were supported by her father, Kamel Khcheich, who encouraged her to memorise and master classics from the Arabic music heritage like Muwashahat, Adwar, and other styles. She has since performed with Zakariah Ahmad, Al-Kassabji, Sayyed Darwish, Kamel Al Khal'I, and Muhammad Abdel Wahab, among others.” 

Rima has also forged a history of performing with Dutch distinguished Jazz musicians, namely double bassist Tony Overwater and clarinet player Maarten Ornstein. It is the interaction between Arabic traditional music and its scales, with Jazz music from the perspective of Dutch musicians that we at Modka Beiroet would like to present for the Zutphen public.

For Modka Beiroet, Rima’s voice is part of Beirut history and amazing heritage of music, influential throughout the whole Arab world. Her voice also represents an anchor, coming out of a country that is in a dramatic collapse today, ruled and controlled by war criminals.