ALULA: Saudi composer and pianist Abeer Balubaid was announced as winner of the AlUla Music Competition at a ceremony in Design Space AlUla on Wednesday.
Accepting the award, Balubaid said: “It is an incredible honor. Knowing that visitors from around the world will experience this composition as they arrive in AlUla is both humbling and inspiring.
“It gives the piece a lasting connection to a destination that holds great cultural significance.”
The competition was created to celebrate and support musical talent in the Kingdom, while encouraging composers to draw inspiration from AlUla’s unique nature, heritage, and cultural identity.
Launched by Arts AlUla, the arts and culture arm of the Royal Commission for AlUla, the competition invited Saudi citizens and residents to submit original pieces lasting from 30 to 60 seconds.
Balubaid’s winning composition will be featured on AlUla’s Musical Road, allowing visitors to interact with a musical piece inspired by the location as they enter the site.
The competition attracted more than 150 submissions from across the Kingdom, with the two finalists being Ghida Knio and Balubaid.
The competition was a unique opportunity for Saudi citizens and residents to showcase their creativity while helping to underline the Kingdom’s cultural identity.
Judges of the competition included Hany Farahat, the chair of the judging panel, Ines Abdeldayem, Mamdouh Saif, and Hesham Nazih.
Speaking to Arab News, Farahat described the judging process and how the panel came to its decision.
He said: “Actually, the selection process was that 280 tracks were sent to me and to the members of the esteemed judging panel.
“We didn’t know who these tracks belonged to. We didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl, or if they were Saudi or a resident in Saudi Arabia. And we didn’t vote together; each person voted individually on a server for Live Nation.
“Once we finished the 280 tracks, we all gathered in a meeting. Live Nation gave us the results, showing that the four of us had chosen these top 10. And that was the surprise, as I said in the speech, it’s strange that we agreed without speaking to one another or knowing anything. We agreed on the 10, then we agreed on the five, then we agreed on the three, and then we agreed on the winner, in the end.
“So, what’s lovely and what made me happy is that, in the end, the winner … I didn’t know she was a girl, I didn’t know she was Saudi, and I didn’t know she was my student from the Saudi orchestra.”
Balubaid told Arab News how she created the piece and how AlUla proved an inspiration.
She said: “It’s about AlUla’s history … so you need the experience to make people feel the energy of AlUla before they enter it.
“So, I was thinking about brainstorming the energy of AlUla. I researched the history of AlUla: mountains, sculptures, beauty, depth, and human stories. I felt that it’s very deep.
“This piece is very special to me, and I wrote it in 2019, when my father passed away. May he rest in peace. So, it’s named “The Passage of Light” (Tariq Al-Noor). So, you can feel the transitions of emotions when you go through the piece.
“I felt right away that the piece was very suitable for AlUla.”
She added: “I hope the music creates a sense of anticipation, curiosity, and emotional connection. Above all, I hope it offers visitors a memorable introduction to AlUla and reflects the creativity and cultural richness that define the destination.”
Farahat said: “The musical and artistic community in Saudi Arabia is doing well, it’s promising, and it has great, great potential.
“I am telling you, our sons and daughters, their ideas … I heard magnificent ideas … It is a seed and a core for many projects from which many talented people will emerge, and we will discover talents that we will be proud of and happy with.”
