Rami Al-Rajab

Rami is an enthusiastic composer and 1st prize winner of the Qatar National Music Competition in the category of composition. He displayed musical talents at an early age. When he was seven years old, he began studying Arabic music with his father and was an autodidact at playing the piano. Taking a keen interest in Western Classical music, he began writing his music at 12 years.
Upon coming to Germany in 1997, he studied classical music theory and piano technique with professor Michael Leslie. Later, he studied piano and conducting at the Berufsfachschule für Musik in Bad-Königshofen and then studied film composition at the Film Academy Baden Wuerttemberg in Germany, where he graduated in 2008. After his travel to Jordan, he was working on his doctorate, where he finished his dissertation in 2014 (The Foundation of Harmonizing Arabic Music Scales Which Include Quarter-Tones (Rast Scale and Bayat Scale as models)).

Among his publicized works are Sug Al-Safafir in Fall for plucked instrument orchestra, Sama’ais Part 1 for Piano and a solo instrument, Messages for Piano, Penumbra for piano sextet, Fantasia Arabia (1st Prize winner) for Flute, Bass Clarinet, and String Orchestra, 6 Arabic Dances for Marimba, and other musical compositions for documentary films, motion pictures, in addition to several short films. Meanwhile, Rami is composing music for live concerts and indie films and working as a Music and Multimedia Sound-Design professor.

Bahir Al-Rajab

Bahir’s performing career began in 1967, and his first television appearance was in 1968. In 1974, Bahir became a member of the Iraqi Television Ensemble, which accompanied most of the prominent Iraqi singers of the time. He also performed regularly on his father’s television program “An Evening of Iraqi Maqam”. In 1974, Bahir joined the Iraqi Traditional Ensemble under the leadership of Munir Bashir. This group toured extensively throughout the Arab world and Europe. Bahir has performed in many important festivals worldwide, including the First Arabic Youth Music Festival in Algeria in 1972, where he represented Iraq. Later on, performing solo Qanun at the Viche Festival (France, 1973), Rhine Festival (France, 1974), Tustoor Festival (Tunisia, 1976), Carthage Festival (Tunisia,1990), Multi-Culti Festival (Germany, 2001-2003), and the WOMAD Festival (Australia, 2006). He has also performed extensively throughout the Arabian Gulf Countries, Europe, and the U.S.

His teaching career began in 1974 when he joined the faculty of the institute of musical studies in Baghdad as a lecturing professor of Qanun and Suntoor, where he remained until 1985. in 1976, he began teaching Arabic music solfege and Muwashahat at the institute of fine arts, where he remained until 1990. he also taught Qanun at the school of music and ballet throughout the 1980s.
As a scholar, Bahir has made significant contributions to studying Arabic music and Iraqi music. His book, “the rules of Baghdadi Maqam Singing” (1985), includes the first transcription of Iraqi maqam. In his forthcoming book “The Tree of Arabic Music Sclaes,” he sets out to clarify Arabic musical theory and present an integrated, comprehensive theory of Arabic scales and Maqamat (Modes).
Bahir is one of the most prolific living composers of Iraqi music, having composed 12 Sama’is, 5 Muwashahat, a Bashraf, a Longa, a Qasida, many songs in the traditional Baghdadi style, instrumental pieces, and children’s songs. He has also made alterations and arrangements of some traditional songs in the repertoire. Most importantly, Bahir has composed two new maqams, “Sharq Mu’ather” and “Zangola,” the first new maqams to be added to the repertoire in approximately 75 years.