Wanees Zarour

Wanees Zarour (b. Ramallah, 1986) is a Chicago-based music composer, focusing on contemporary Middle Eastern Music. He is an accomplished oud, buzuq, percussion and violin player, having been featured in many international music festivals. His latest album, Quarter to Midnight, was released in August 2014.

Wanees Zarour
Wanees Zarour. Photo by Fadi Freij.
Background information
Born1986 (age 34–35)
Ramallah, Palestine
GenresWorld Music
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • composer
  • director
  • educator
Instruments
Years active2000-present
Websitewaneeszarour.com

Musical career

Born in Ramallah, Palestine, Wanees has trained as a musician from the age of 7. He began with violin and quickly picked up oud, buzuq, and percussion. He has been invited to perform in major music and concerts around the world in ensemble and solo performances, including American Public Media's A Prairie Home Companion,[1] Chicago's World Music Festival, and Day of Music at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.[2]

Wanees specializes in Maqam music, teaching classes and leading ensembles mainly in the Chicago area. His compositions often fuse traditional Middle Eastern instrumentation and Maqam theory together with musical traditions ranging from free jazz to Eastern European folk, and Latin American Music such as Bossa Nova.[3]

Wanees currently directs the Middle East Music Ensemble at The University of Chicago,[4] which performs a wide variety of traditional and contemporary Middle Eastern music, featuring Arab, Turkish and Persian repertoire.[5][6][7] He also taught Maqam Theory and Middle Eastern Rhythm as a faculty member at the Old Town School of Folk Music.[2]

Zarour leads and performs with several ensembles including Duzan Ensemble and the Wanees Zarour Ensemble among others. His latest album of original compositions, Quarter to Midnight was released on August 2, 2014 at Constellation Chicago.[8]

Similar Artists

Other notable artists who compose and perform music in similar Middle Eastern styles include Issa Boulos, Simon Shaheen, Bassam Saba, and Ziad Rahbani.

Discography
Year Title Ensemble
2014 Quarter to Midnight
  • Wanees Zarour (Composer, Oud, Buzuq, Violin, Tar)
  • Tareq Rantisi (Percussion)
  • Alex Wing (Guitar)
  • Nick Macri (Bass)
  • Athanasios Athanassiadis (Clarinet)
  • Elizabeth Diaz (Flute)
  • Hannah Vis (Cello)
2010 Being Piece (by Issa Boulos)
  • Issa Boulos (Composer, Oud, Guitar)
  • Wanees Zarour (Buzuq, Violin, Percussion)

References
  1. "A Prairie Home Companion, Sept. 2006".
  2. "Old Town School of Folk Music".
  3. "The Chicago Reader".
  4. "Wanees Zarour, Department of Music, The University of Chicago".
  5. "The University of Chicago Middle East Music Ensemble".
  6. "MEME 2013 Persian Concert".
  7. "MEME 2012 Turkish Concert".
  8. "Constellation - Quarter to Midnight Release Concert".
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