Georgetown Hosts Arabic Music Concert Featuring Qatari Singer Ali Abdul Sattar

As part of its endeavor to foster awareness of Gulf heritage, Arabic culture, and language activities in the community, Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) hosted an Arabic music concert featuring Qatari singer Ali Abdul Sattar.

Abdul Sattar performed a number of his most popular songs at the event, which was held at GU-Q’s Education City campus on Thursday, November 16. 

The musician is one of the pioneers in modern Gulf music, and is well known for his mastery in performing heritage songs and adapting them to employ modern music techniques and instruments. These adaptations, along with his notable wide scale vocal capabilities and ability to perform classical Gulf songs, contributed to his popularity.

“Ali Abdul Sattar is a high caliber artist and one of the most renowned lead singers in Gulf music in current times,” said Abbas Al-Tonsi, the director of the Arabic Language Program at GU-Q. “He is a well-educated artist with pan-Arab roots and a sense of belonging, who gained his fame because he is a serious artist who places his music above commercial or material considerations. He represents a role model for the new generation of artists.”  

“I firmly believe that hosting such events and bringing in renowned artists gives us the opportunity to relate their creative works to the in-depth cultural and linguistic issues that we focus on in our academic field,” said Al-Tonsi.

Abdul Sattar was born in Qatar in 1952 and began his musical career in the late 1970s. Continuing successes saw him become one of the strongest artists on the Gulf musical scene throughout the 1990s. Today, he remains widely popular with Gulf audiences and is known for reaching out to support the newest generation of musicians and singers in the region.