Jordanian soprano Zeina Barhoum took part of the Opening Ceremony of the eighth edition of the World Science Forum (WSF 2017) in Jordan that is headed by HRH Sumaya bint El Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society and under the auspices of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. For the first time in the Arab world, the World Science Forum (WSF 2017) is held in Jordan at the King Hussein bin Talal Convention Centre at the Dead Sea on the theme of 'Science for Peace'. The forum is held in collaboration between the Royal Scientific Society, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the UNESCO.


In Her speech, HRH Sumaya bint El Hassan said, "We are honored to have the opportunity to welcome science and policy leaders to our nation. We are delighted to be able to show the world what our people and our region have to offer for the development of science and cross-cultural cooperation and we hope that WSF 2017 will expand the debate on the power of science to improve lives and broaden mutual understanding and respect.

The Opening Ceremony was attended by nearly 3000 of significant scientists, political leaders, decision makers and investors from more than 120 countries. To be held until the 11th of November, the World Science Forum seeks to provide the scientific community and public policy makers with a global platform to exchange, discuss and harmonize their ideas in respect to the growing interdependence of science with society.

Most recently, Jordanian soprano Zeina Barhoum gave a performance at a venue in Somerset organized by a group known as "Ebenezer Presents" to an audience of more than 150 people, as part of the album tour that started with a big concert in China. A few days ago, Zeina Barhoum and Somerset artist Peter Lawrence launched their new project Alcantara Beyond the Wells: Bridging Cultures with Music and Art that is inspired by the album series Alcantara: Bridging Cultures Across the Mediterranean and Beyond. The project includes an art exhibition of paintings by Barhoum and Lawrence that will be running from October 28, 2017 to January 31, 2018 at the Bishop's Palace in Wells, UK.

The exhibition will lead to a concert in Wells Cathedral, which can accommodate more than 1000 people, on March 16, 2018 by Zeina with an assembled choir from Somerset schools and adult choirs, orchestra and soloists all assembled by Somerset musician, Tim Angel. This comes as part of Alcantara II album tour. The music will be a blend of Western and Arabic music and styles with Gabriel Faure's Requiem as the largest piece but including some first performances of new compositions and arrangements. The exhibition will feature landscapes and impressions of Wells, Somerset, Europe and the Arab world. Zeina is going to visit some of the schools participating in the Wells concert in March.

Soprano Zeina Barhoum is preparing to present performances of Opera La Bohème during the 2nd round of the Amman Opera Festival that is set to be held early fall 2018. La Bohème is based on Henri Murger's novel, Scènes de la Vie de Bohème, a collection of vignettes portraying young bohemians living in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the 1840s. This comes following the unprecedented success of La Traviata performances, that were held at the Roman Amphitheater and featured various orchestras from the region and abroad as well as International, regional and local talent starring in the opera.

Most recently, Barhoum joined the World Food Programme (WFP) in organizing a Healthy Not Hungry Dinner, in cooperation with the United Nations, on Saturday, October 14 at the Opera House in Jordan. This event coincided with the World Food Day, in an effort to increase public awareness of the suffering caused by hunger and to combat starvation around the world. Any proceeds resulting from the event will be donated to Syrian refugee children.

Zeina Barhoum is a classically trained Soprano and founder of The Alcántara music and art series. Zeina has performed at benefits countless times for the benefit of women, children, peace and prosperity. Among her many invitations to perform, Barhoum was invited to perform at Kensington Palace in celebration of Women achievers, and for bridging cultures through the Arab International Women's Forum.