Biography

Mina Mikhael Salama

Received a Bachelor's degree in Music Education with a Very Good grade from the University of Alexandria, Egypt, in 2000, and became a Teaching Assistant in the same faculty.

Obtained a Master of Arts by Research from the University of Huddersfield in 2022.

Multi-instrumentalist in several instruments, including piano, keyboard, oud, nay, kawala, Armenian duduk, oriental violin, qanun, mandolin, saz, udu drum, and nailute.

Worked as a nay, piano, and keyboard principal player at the Egyptian Opera House from 2004 to 2012, also serving as Assistant Maestro and a music arranger for many pieces and songs performed at the Opera House during that time.

Music Director and vocal coach for various choirs, such as the Opera Choir and several choirs of the Coptic Church.

Manager of Ava Takla Sound Studios and the principal sound engineer from 2008 to 2012.

Composed and arranged many pieces and songs for various albums and projects for Coptic Churches and TV channels.

Contributed to the recordings of the choir's first music college seminary in Cairo and supervised the music department at the Institute of Coptic Hymns Coptic Studies in Cairo.

Music scores writer of Coptic music (from the well-known modern Coptic cantor, the late Cantor Mikhail Girgis El Batanouny, whose recordings have helped preserve and unify many ancient chants that otherwise would have been lost; however, they were recorded in Greco-Bohairic pronunciation). This project contributed to the music department at the Institute of Coptic Hymns Coptic Studies in Cairo with the European Union.

Has performed at numerous albums and music festivals in the UK, such as the Edinburgh Festival 2014, Celebrating Sanctuary Southbank 2013 & 2014, AHRC Connected Communities Festival Cardiff 2014, Journeys Festival 2014 Leicester, Manchester Bridgewater Hall 2013, Platforma Festival 2013, Musicport Festival in 2018 and 2019, and worked on Haymanot Tesfa's solo recording project with the percussionist Arian Sadr, MIRO's debut CD, and Rafiki Jazz's 3rd & 4th album projects, as well as the Electric Sufi album 2022.

Participated as a nay principal player and specialist Coptic musician with the Saint Kyrel Trust Coptic Orchestra and Choir at all their concerts in various countries, including England, Sweden, Canada, and France.

Some of his music has been played multiple times on BBC Radio Sheffield and BBC 6, and he has been featured several times on podcast programs as a researcher of Egyptian and Coptic music and a multi-instrumentalist.

Performed at major music festivals in the UK, such as Shrewsbury Folk Festival and Womad, before an audience of about 4,000 people in 2017 and 2018.

Performed at many international music festivals and workshops at various universities in several countries, such as Australia, Canada, Kuwait, Libya, the United Arab Emirates, and Congo.

In 2017, contributed to the music score recording and filming for Disney's new movie Aladdin, which stars Will Smith, Mena Massoud, and Naomi Scott.

Chosen to introduce the nay to be recorded and documented on the British Museum website.

Performed as a soloist musician celebrating the United Arab Emirates National Day in 2017 at the Natural History Museum, and again in 2018 at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Contributed to the "Civilisations" BBC TV program in 2017 and demonstrated the 30,000-year-old Isturitz Vulture bone flute.

Selected to lead several music workshops at different universities and music colleges in the UK, such as the Northern Royal Music College in Manchester, York Music College, Sheffield and Leeds Universities, and served as a guest lecturer at the University of Huddersfield.

Chosen to be one of the leaders in the Arts Council-funded program for the Manchester International Roots Orchestra (MIRO) in 2019.

Contributed to various Master's and PhD music research projects, some as a co-author.

Selected to design the bells' Coptic melody rings for the Milano Coptic Cathedral in Italy in 2018/2019, to be implemented by a specialist company in making church bells in Italy.

Conducting a research project on ancient Egyptian music at the University of Huddersfield.
Has published many scientific papers in musicology and Ethnomusicology.