“I did not expect to hold the title of ‘The UAE’s first female Emirati cellist’. It was quite the shock when I realised I was the only Emirati female performing the cello in a professional capacity,” says Elham Al Marzooqi, who began her musical journey at age five.
Born and raised in Abu Dhabi, Elham studied piano at her mother’s music institute–one of the first music schools to open in the Emirate in the 80s. During this period, she discovered her passion for the cello and developed a fascination for orchestras and the camaraderie between musicians. “I loved listening to Yo- Yo Ma CDs. He was my biggest inspiration. I quickly found a cel- lo and a teacher, and never looked back,” Elham recalls. “It was much easier to learn due to my musical background and I fell in love with the cello’s sound and the different ways I could express myself through music. I am the proud owner of a 2018 German cello made by Wolfgang Schnabl. It’s an utterly divine instrument with a gorgeous sound.”
Perfecting her craft and honing her musical calling, Elham per- formed with community orchestras before graduating to professional ensembles–all while building and maintaining a successful career as senior legal counsel at Flash Entertainment, as well as raising a family. “I’m not going to lie, juggling it all is difficult. Your time management skills must be on point,” Elham admits. Balancing a day job with official rehearsals and recordings three-times-per-week is an achievement in itself, not to mention at-home practice sessions. “Fortunately, I have a great support network and my husband is my biggest advocate. He understands how both careers are very important to me. I am also very fortunate to have my parents live next door. My tip is to delegate, delegate, delegate. As mothers, we feel that we must do everything but we need to allow others to help handle things.”
Since 2011, Elham has performed with various renowned orchestras including NSO Symphony Orchestra, Dubai Chamber Orchestra, Dubai Pops Orchestra, Emirates Community Symphonic Orchestra, Arabian Philharmonic Orchestra, Sharq Orchestra and Dubai Singers Orchestra. She is also a member of Emirati music trio, UAE Pioneers Musicians.
Carving her position in the professional music industry hasn’t always been an easy feat and, in an industry where she considers women to be underrepresented, Elham’s passion and determination has certainly paid off. “There is not enough representation for women in the music industry,” she explains. “Not only as musicians but also behind the scenes, with sound engineers, music composers, etc. Therefore, becoming a member of the Firdaus Orchestra, a pioneering all-female professional orchestra is very refreshing.” Following an arduous audition process, Elham was the only Emirati musician to have been selected to join this inspired project between Dubai Expo 2020 and A.R. Rahman, who is celebrated for an extensive body of work for film and stage, notably renowned for the score in the film, Slumdog Millionaire, which earned the distinguished composer BAFTA, Golden Globe, Academy and Grammy awards.
Describing playing the cello as “a lifelong journey” and regardless of the high benchmarks professional players can reach, Elham explains that musicians learn something new every day through dedicated practice. “This is one of the many reasons I love it so much, there is no end date. Learning an instrument is akin to sculpting. You work on one area and then go away and start working on another area. In the words of the influential Catalan cellist Pablo Casals, when asked why he was still practicing at the age of 90, he replied, ‘Because I think I am making progress’.” Elham wholeheartedly relates.
As for her favourite pieces to play? “There are so many, depending on whether we are talking about solo or orchestra repertoire,” she explains. “My favourite solo pieces would hands down be Bach’s Cello Suites. You can play these pieces for life and you will learn something new each time. With orchestral pieces, I am quite partial to Beethoven Symphonies, especially Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. As cellists, we are quite lucky as we have such a beautiful repertoire from which to choose.”
With a long list of highlights and achievements throughout her storied musical career, including a recent project with the Abrahamic Symphony: Unity of Three in Poland, with the Beethoven Academy Orchestra. The first interfaith symphony composed by Academy and Grammy Award-winning David Shire, Emmy Award-winning (and Academy Award nominee), composer John Debney and Emirati composer Ihab Darwish, was a delight for Elham. Other pinch-me moments include performing twice with Italian operatic tenor, Andrea Bocelli–a standout memory of which she recalls during the performance in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, becoming “rather emotional at one point, as the music and synergy was so beautiful!”.
Elham’s advice for women trying to break into typically male-led industries? “Listen to your inner voice, you can do this!” and “understand that there will always be the naysayers. Ignore them”. We couldn’t agree more and cannot wait to see what’s next for Elham, the inspirational musician creating the soundtrack to her own life.
