The St. Regis Doha’s First Encore! concert is a classical success

Press release

Published June 25th, 2012 - 11:44 GMT

Al Bawaba

The debut of The St. Regis Doha’s Encore! concert series proved to be a delight for music-lovers in Qatar, with classical pianist Amira Fouad receiving a warm round of applause after an enchanting evening of Mozart, Chopin and Liszt, as well as modern standards. The sold-out performance took place in the elegant setting of the hotel lobby lounge, turned into a concert hall for the occasion, and was followed by refreshments and canapés.

Encore! is a new concert series curated by Qatar Music & Arts, an initiative supported by Qanas Productions, and held in partnership with Steinway Piano Gallery Qatar, which will bring some of the world’s most distinguished musicians to play a series of concerts at The St. Regis Doha.

Among the audience at this weekend’s event were distinguished guests, including His Excellency Michael O’Neill, British Ambassador to Qatar; His Excellency Jean-Christophe Peaucelle, French Ambassador and his wife Mme Veronique Peaucelle; and His Excellency Martin Aeschbacher, Swiss Ambassador.

In addition, The St. Regis Doha welcomed a number of students from Qatar Music Academy, who had the chance to hear a diverse repertoire of music played on a Steinway Model D piano. One of the aims of The St. Regis Doha’s music programme is to offer opportunities for young people in Qatar to enjoy a diverse range of performances, both through the Encore! series, and the planned community initiatives of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha, which is set to open later in the year.

“We’re very pleased with the reception to this first event in the Encore! series,” said Tareq Derbas, General Manager, The St. Regis Doha. “Amira Fouad’s wonderful performance set a very high standard for our future concerts, and we’re looking forward to hosting more events at The St. Regis Doha over the coming months.”

As well as being the first artist to perform at The St. Regis Doha, Amira Fouad is also the creator of the Qatar Music & Arts initiative, which is supported by Qanas Productions. In her career as a concert pianist, she has toured North America, Europe and the Far and Middle East.

Background Information

Starwood Hotels

Starwood Hotels represents one of the world's largest hotel and leisure companies. It conducts its hotel and leisure business both directly and through its subsidiaries. Its brand names include St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft, and Element

Starwood Hotels' business emphasizes the global operation of hotels and resorts primarily in the luxury and upscale segment of the lodging industry. It seeks to acquire interests in, or management or franchise rights with respect to properties in this segment. At December 31, 2009, its hotel portfolio included owned, leased, managed and franchised hotels totaling 979 hotels with approximately 292,000 rooms in approximately 100 countries, and is comprised of 63 hotels that it owns or leases or in which it has a majority equity interest, 440 hotels managed by the company on behalf of third-party owners and 476 hotels for which it receives franchise fees.