Saudi Arabia's first opera singer has been breaking stereotypes and pushing boundaries, much like the changing landscape of his home country in the past few years.
Mohammed Khayran Al Zahrani's passion for singing was born long before the changes started in the kingdom. His dream was once discouraged and disapproved of but he believed in his talent and continued to nurture it.
“It didn't matter to me what people thought, I did what I believed in,” he told The National.
Looking back, he says it's different now.
“People are opening up. When I started, I was bullied, and didn't have many options in my country to pursue my passion,” he said.
The self-taught opera singer, 25, said his dream of becoming an opera singer was inspired by watching videos while he was in school.
“I used to sing everywhere, in the shower, in the emergency staircase, at university, everywhere. It gave me the power of freedom and expression.”
Mr Al Zahrani recalls family pressures to opt for a “proper” career instead of pursuing music and opera singing, so he studied pharmacy. But he knew his passion was not merely a hobby — it was an ambition he felt he could not abandon. So at the age of 23, he took up the challenge and went to Italy to break the barriers of language, culture and carve out a whole new world for himself.
“I'd heard Italian opera singers and I wanted to go and learn myself,” he said.
When he arrived, Mr Al Zahrani found that understanding and speaking the language was a requisite to join music school in Italy. “I went on to study Italian for three months,” he recalled.
But what changed the course of his life was an evening he says he'll never forget.
While waiting for a train, Mr Al Zahrani saw a street musician performing.
“He was playing the piano and it was like a reflex, I just joined him. We performed together and a crowd suddenly gathered around us and started cheering. I remember this lady came up to me and asked for my details,” he said.
The woman, who turned out to be from Coro Polifonico Musica Creator choir later contacted Mr Al Zahrani and asked if he'd like to participate in another live performance.
“I said 'yes' and went to audition. Not only did I get a part, I got the lead!”
He became the first Saudi opera singer to join the Coro Polifonico Musica Creator choir in Rome, and take the lead in Ethereal which was streamed online on the festival's digital platforms. He also performed at a concert at Vatican City which was attended by Pope Francis.
He says being the only Saudi Arabian male opera male singer and performing in a church never seemed like a hurdle.
As an artist, he took up the challenge to change the cultural narrative and found solace in his art.
Mr Al Zahrani eventually came back to perform in the kingdom with the launch of Vision 2030, a project through which public events and entertainment are now the norm in Saudi Arabia.
“I have performed in Jeddah and Riyadh and the reactions are always amazing,” he said. “They're always surprised to hear me sing. It is new to them also because I have the range and because in opera we can do both — sing in a male and female voice.”
In April 2021, Mr Al Zahrani performed Aala Wa Amjadu — composed by Dr Hiba Al-Kawas — at the 18th Abu Dhabi Festival.
“A countertenor voice is a rare one that can reach very high pitches just like a canary,” Ms Al Kawas said. “However, some countertenors, like Mohammed, have a bass vocal ability allowing them to reach low pitches as well.”
Mr Al Zahrani, who usually sings in Italian, said it was “the first time I performed opera in Arabic".
In December, Mr Al Zahrani performed a rendition of Hallelujah “as a solo” at Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola in Rome. “It was amazing. I have a lot more coming up and will reveal details soon.”
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine 2.4L four-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.4L/100km
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
MATCH RESULT
Liverpool 4 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Liverpool: Salah (26'), Lovren (40'), Solanke (53'), Robertson (85')
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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imVentures: $100m
Plug and Play: $25m
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Cofe
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 80-100
Amount raised: $13m
Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group
