death_date birth_place label background birth_date article_title birth_name occupation
16 september 2013 cairo dean of the higher arab music institute cairo , solo_singer 1931 ratiba el-hefny
 ratiba el-hefny opera singer
ratiba el-hefny

ratiba hefny -lrb- arabic رتيبة الحفنى -rrb- -lrb- born 1931 in cairo , egypt , died 16 september 2013 -rrb- was an egyptian and an international opera singer -lrb- soprano -rrb- who has performed in more than 500 opera performances .
she was the dean of the higher institute of arabic music in cairo .
she became the director of the cairo opera house in 1988 .
she grew up in a musical family , her father mohamed ahmed el-hefny has written more than 45 books on music , and her grandmother to her mother was of a german origin , who also was a german opera singer .
ratiba started playing the piano at the age of five .
she also gave her singing voice to snow white in snow white and the seven dwarfs .
