Sahar Taha

Iraqi musician and journalist (1957–2018)

Sahar Hadi Muhi Taha
Born	1957 Iraq
Origin	Iraq
Died	August 17, 2018(2018-08-17) (aged 60–61) USA
Genres	Iraqi music, Iraqi folk music, Arabic music
Occupation(s)	Singer

Website	www.sahartaha.com^{[dead link]}

Musical artist

Sahar Taha (Arabic: سحر طه; 1957–2018) was an Iraqi musician and journalist living in Lebanon. She co-hosted the Lebanese programme Banat Hawa on LBC.^[1]^[2] She was known for playing the oud in both eastern and western music.^[3]

Early life and career

In 1984 Taha received a MA in Business Administration in Baghdad, followed by a degree in oud and singing from the National Conservatory of Lebanon in 1989. In addition to her career in music, Taha was a writer for various Arabic and Lebanese newspapers and had been writing for Beirut's daily Al-Mustaqbal since 1999.^[4] She presented numerous musical programmes in the Arab media and worked for Future TV and ART television stations in the mid-1990s.

Taha served as a judge in musical festivals and programmes across Lebanon and Egypt in 1995, 2001 and 2002.

Since 1997, she was a member of The Professional Artists Syndicate, as well as a member of honor in the Munir Bashir Oud and Traditional Musical Art International Foundation, in remembrance of Iraqi oudist Munir Bashir.

Since 1986 Taha had performed in many concerts throughout the Middle East and Europe; in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Qatar, Algeria, UAE, Germany, Austria, Italy, Holland, and her homeland of Iraq.^[5]

Personal life

Taha married a Lebanese and was a naturalized Lebanese national. She still had family in Baghdad.^[6]

Death

Taha died on 17 August 2018 from cancer.^[7]^[8]

Discography

Albums

Baghdadiyat feat. Omar Bashir
Traditional Iraqi songs (2003)
Gunter Grass Tour De Jemen
Waddaato Baghdad (2010)
I Adore You (2012)

Publications

Baghdadi Maqamat (2006). ISBN 9953212368. In Arabic.
From The Heart To Them Part 1.

References

^ Sahar Taha at ShooFee TV Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
^ ANERA – "Back to Authentic Nutrition" Festival
^ "Arab Times/Al-Hadaf (Kuwait)". Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
^ Decade Later, Layla Murad Still Unforgettable Artist Archived 25 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Sahar Taha – Musical Concerts". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
^ Sahar Taha – 200 people join the Memorial for Victims in Iraq and Palestine
^ "Décès de la chanteuse irakienne Sahar Taha à l'âge de 61 ans des suites d'un cancer". Tunivisions. 18 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
^ "Death of a famous Arab singer after a conflict with cancer". vaaju.com. Retrieved 24 August 2018.