Brooklyn Arts Council

Mohamed Abdulrahim Alsiadi has an extensive background in music theory, composition, performance, and conducting. As one of the first students of the Damascus Music Conservatory -an internationally acclaimed school of music that opened its doors in 1990 -- Abdulrahim undertook his studies in these subjects from 1990-1995 while specializing as a performer of the Middle Eastern lute, the oboe and the piano. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the conservatory in 1995. While still a student, Abdulrahim built on his studies as an instructor of music performance and theory in Syria . His teaching career began in Aleppo , a major metropolis in the north of the country and his city of birth. He first taught music in the Aleppo Academy and subsequently instructed lute performers at the Aleppo Youth Academy . He went on to become an educator at the Damascus Arab Music Institute. In addition, he taught courses on Arabic Music Theories and Music History at the Damascus Music Conservatory. He was awarded a scholarship of excellence in Conducting upon graduating from the Damascus Music Conservatory. He moved to New York in 1996, which he considers home now. He has lectured on Middle Eastern music with lute performance for New York University 's Graduate Department of Ethnomusicology. He has organized concerts providing an overview of Middle Eastern music at Rutgers University , Newark , where he serves as the Arabic language instructor in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. Throughout his career as a musician, he has undertaken research in music history and theory. At international conferences in Cairo , Aleppo , and Damascus , he has presented research on two different song forms central to Arabic and Middle Eastern music: a form of Arabic-sung poetry called the qasida, and the Aleppo muwashah, a song-form which is the foundation for songs developed in Andalucia in the Middle Ages. As an lute soloist, M. Abdulrahim Alsiadi has performed in New York , Algeria , Egypt , Lebanon , Spain , and Syria . As a conductor, he has led orchestral and choral ensembles in Beirut , Cairo , and Damascus . As a doctoral student, Alsiadi's research interests include issues related to Arab-American identity post-9/11; the impact of East-West relations on contemporary Arabic music and literature; and the use of Islam to democratize groups and nations.

Mohamed A Alsiadi