KARIM AL-ZAND
Assistant Professor of Composition and Theory

B.M. High Distinction, University Scholar (1993) McGill University Ph.D. (2000) Harvard University 1605 Alice Pratt Brown Hall 713-348-3740 alzand@rice.edu

http://www.alzand.com

The music of composer Karim Al-Zand (b.1970) has been called “strong and startlingly lovely” (Boston Globe). His compositions are wide-ranging, from settings of classical Arabic poetry to scores for dance and pieces for young audiences. Many of his works explore connections between music and other arts, and draw inspiration from diverse sources such as 19th century graphic art, fables of the world, folksong and jazz. Al-Zand’s music has enjoyed success in the US, Canada and abroad and he is the recipient of several national awards, including the Sackler Composition Prize, the ArtSong Prize and the Louisville Orchestra Competition Prize. He holds degrees from Harvard and McGill Universities and is a founding member and vice-president of Musiqa, Houston’s premiere contemporary music group.