about

Bio

A Syrian composer and oud player from Damascus. Nabil has played and collaborated
with different musicians with different musical styles from around the world in Syria,
Lebanon, Turkey, and across Europe (Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, France and
Denmark). Nabil has a passion for the fusion of classical Arabic music with other music
genres such as Jazz, Flamenco, and Western Classical music. In Germany, he played
the Oud as a soloist with the Baden-Baden Wind Orchestra, Wedding Orchestra, and
Babylon Orchestra. Nabil collaborated with many musicians active in Berlin like Matthias
Haffner creating “Nabil & Matthias”, a Syrian-German duo balancing Oud solos with
Latino rhythms. Additionally, he collaborated with Valentina Bellanova who is a ney and
recorder player. Nabil worked on the fusion of Arabic music with electronic sounds and
beats with Simon Schmidt and Ali Hasan. He created Oriental Jazz Fusion with SINGA
Band with Luisa Seiler (saxophone), Tilman Reinhardt (piano), and Ali Hasan
(percussion).

Nabil’s current endeavors include projects like “Deutsche Volkslieder mit arabischem
Akzent” aiming to create a fusion between traditional German songs played on Middle
Eastern instruments. Kleopatra is another project in which Nabil is involved. Kleopatra is
a concert performance format for all generations based on the Handel opera “Giulio
Cesare in Egitto”. Furthermore, Nabil launched in 2021 AMIBerlin which is a project to
teach Arabic music theory and instruments. Moreover, he leads and trains the AMIBerlin
choir which sings in Arabic and welcomes all Berliners to join and learn about Arabic
music. The choir is accompanied by a small ensemble and has performed several
concerts in Berlin in places such as Theater Expedition Metropolis and HAU Hebbel am
Ufer.
Nabil released his first Album “From Damascus to Berlin” in 2020. The album is an
archaeology of the many unknowns faced during forced migration and how music and
memory create a new understanding of connection to place. The songs reflect the
geography of his experience on the move, seeking asylum in Europe, and the (re-
)negotiation of the meaning of home, including traditional Damascene songs as well as a
new interpretation of Schubert’s Der Leiermann. This Album was produced by Dr Waldo
Fabian Garrido from Western Sydney University as a part of a research project on music
and migration.
Nabil cofounded the Arabic Music Initiative e.V which is a non-profit organization that
supports artists who are performing Arabic music. Nabil worked as a volunteer in SINGA
Deutschland and Baynatna – The Arabic Library in Berlin. Furthermore, Nabil worked as
a research assistant with Dr Waldo Fabian Garrido from Western Sydney University, on
a project called, Music and Migration, focusing on Syrian musicians in Berlin. From 2006
to 2012, Nabil managed Alkhaimeh (Arabic for tent), a Music Production Company in
Damascus. This company produced music for local musicians and the Damascus Opera
House.
Nabil’s artistic training started in the 1990s when he took music lessons with Adnan
Alnabulsi. He took private oud classes with prominent teachers such as Askar Ali Akbar
and Mahmoud Othman in Damascus between 2004-2013. He had the chance to join the
renowned oud player Najati Cilic’s masterclass, in Istanbul in 2015. In Berlin, between
2018-2019 Nabil took private classes in composition, orchestral arrangement, and piano
with Orestis Goumenos. Furthermore, he participated in many workshops and training
programs such as artist marketing and audio recording by UDK Berlin.

GET IN TOUCH

info@nabilarbaain.com