about

Youmna Saba (Beirut, 1984) is a musician and musicologist whose current research focuses on the musical dimension(s) of the Arabic language, as a tool to generate new methods of working with electronics.                                        

She released 4 albums to this day and collaborated with musicians of different backgrounds, like Kamilya Jubran (PL), Mike Cooper (GB), Jean Marc Montera (FR), Floy Krouchi (FR), Kyungso Park (SK), among others. 

She took part in international programs and residencies (Hwaeom Residency, South Korea 2017, Sound Development City, 2016, Gyeonggi Creation Center, South Korea 2013...) and is a 3-time laureate of the music residency program at La Cité Internationale des Arts, in Paris (2020-2021).

Youmna holds a master’s degree in Musicology, focusing mainly on the parallels between classical Arabic music and Arabic visual art.

La réserve des Non-Dits | MUSEE DU QUAI BRANLY

Installation sonore au musée du quai branly - Paris

photo par Julien BRACHHAMMER

"La réserve des non-dits", l’installation sonore de la musicienne, compositrice et musicologue @youmnasaba est à découvrir au musée jusqu’au 31 décembre !

"La réserve des non-dits" est le premier projet créé dans le cadre des résidences sonores du musée du #quaibranly : @youmnasaba, lauréate de la résidence sonore 2022, est allée capter le souffle des instruments de musique au cœur de la « tour des instruments », un environnement protégé et optimisé pour assurer leur bonne conservation.

 

L’installation propose un zoom sur les micro-sons qu’émettent ces instruments dans leur état passif, leurs résonances, leurs voix. C’est une manière de révéler l’inaudible, d’exhumer les traces de sons et autres images résiduelles, de retranscrire leurs histoires non-écrites, les informations que ces instruments captent et enregistrent dans leurs corps, au plus près de leur matière.

FOR PUBLISHING INQUIRIES

Al Sobh

Written and performed by Youmna Saba 
for the RELIEF Centre 2021 conference: 
"Working Through Crisis: Innovations, Possibilities and Limitations of Research in a Volatile Lebanon." 

Recorded in March 2021.

LATEST

featured track

HUBŪT

Based on "La Chute", by Albert Camus 

Written and performed by Youmna Saba 
Concrete sound "WOODEN STAIRS _ going down", from Radio Mansion sound bank 
Recorded and mixed by Fadi Tabbal, at Tunefork 
2018, Beirut, Lebanon 

Written for the project Radio Mansion, a collaboration between The Outpost and Mansion (Beirut)

latest releases

ANTHOLOGY OF ELECTROACOUSTIC LEBANESE MUSIC

A COMPILATION BY UNEXPLAINED SOUNDS GROUP | RELEASED SEPTEMBER 2018

Two tracks of mine were featured in this compilation "Nafas" & "Hubut", along other works by Lebanese musicians in the experimental scene.

MORE

Arb'een (40)

released may 2017

Written, arranged and performed by Youmna Saba / Recorded and mixed by Fadi Tabbal at Tunefork Recording Studios, Lebanon
 / Mastered by Lopazz at Mixmastering, Germany / Produced by Youmna Saba and Fadi Tabbal (Tunefork) / Album cover illustration and design by Joseph Kai

MORE

NJOUM

released september 2014

Written and performed by Youmna Saba / Arranged by Youmna Saba & Fadi Tabbal / Track 5 by Fadi Tabbal / Recorded and mixed by Fadi Tabbal at Tunefork Recording Studios, Lebanon
 / Mastered by Lopazz at Mixmastering, Germany / Produced by Youmna Saba and Fadi Tabbal (Tunefork) / Album cover illustration and design by Joseph Kai

MORE

in the press

interview on BBC NEWS ARABIC

Talking about my work and projects on BBC News Arabic.

Picture by Zakaria Wakrim

INTERVIEW ON FRANCE 24

NOVEMBER 2018

BBC 4: THE SOUND ODYSSEY

MAY 2018

Review: Anthology of Electroacoustic Lebanese Music from the Unexplained Sounds Group.

JANUARY 2019

NTS RADio | featured on the show "are you before"

january 2019

Playlist featuring my track "I Saw You" with Moisés Martìn Flores. 

​​​​​​​LISTEN HERE

contributor's charts | corridors (youmna Saba & nour sokhon)

december 2018

My collaboration with Nour Sokhon "Corridors", is featured among the Wire's contributor Maha El Nabawi's list.

VIEW HERE

You can also read more about her selection HERE (special mention to the members of SODASSI as well)

PORTRAIT ON DER TAGESSPIEGEL

APRIL 2018

Shows

Previous events

Date Event Location
Sound Lab #4: Youmna Saba & Kid Fourteen 3537, Paris 3537, Paris
Youmna Saba + Richard Comte Instants Chavirés, Montreuil Instants Chavirés, Montreuil
Youmna Saba Solo Espace Mendès-France, Poitiers Espace Mendès-France, Poitiers
Ultima Festival Oslo - with NeueVocalsolisten  
 —  — Summer Bummer Festival - with Praed Orchestra Antwerp Antwerp
Voice Affairs with NeueVocalsolisten Time of Music, Viitasaari Time of Music, Viitasaari
"En échos" Déambulation musicale Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, Paris Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, Paris
Terra Incognita 1 at Faraway festival | Kamilya Jubran, Floy Krouchi, Youmna Saba La Comédie, Reims La Comédie, Reims
CTM Festival - 40 years of Touch Berlin Berlin
Kamilya Jubran and Youmna Saba (double bill solos) Cave12 , Geneva Cave12 , Geneva
Jazz à Poitiers Poitiers Poitiers
 —  — School of Sonic Memory Residency Athens Athens
KoncertKirken Copenhaguen Copenhaguen
 —  — Irtijal Festival Berlin Berlin
Francophonies Limoges Limoges
Jazz Festival Freiburg FOYER, E-WERK FOYER, E-WERK
Phonetics Festival Saint Denis Saint Denis
Phonetics Festival Saint Denis Saint Denis
Einstein on the Beach Fetsival Bordeaux Bordeaux
Voice Affairs with Neue Vocalsolisten Akademie der Künste, Berlin Akademie der Künste, Berlin

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