Mohammed Fairouz
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Fairouz is an Arab American
composer.
Having fulfilling many commissions and created a substantial body of frequently performed works, he is considered one of the most sought after composers of the young generation. Fairouz began composing at an early age and studied at the New England Conservatory of Music
. His teachers included Gunther Schuller
, Halim El-Dabh
and John Heiss.
Mohammed Fairouz's music is published by Peermusic Classical.
Fairouz lives in the Chelsea, Manhattan
neighborhood of New York City
.
at the age of 7 and has gone on to write hundreds of art songs and over a dozen song cycles. In Poets & Writers Magazine
, he described himself as being obsessed with text.
Three Fragments of Ibn Khafājah was commissioned by the Cygnus Ensemble and sets poetry by Arab Andalucian
poet Ibn Khafajah.
Musicians for Harmony commissioned the song cycle Furia for baritone Randall Scarlata together with the Imani Winds
and the Borromeo String Quartet
and sets Western texts about the Middle East.
Jeder Mensch, was written for Kate Lindsey
with texts set from the diaries of Alma Mahler
.
Fairouz has also collaborated extensively with living poets. Bonsai Journal, on texts by Judson Evans, was released on Albany Records
.
The Pierrot ensemble
, Lunatics at Large
commissioned the cycle Unwritten on texts by David Shapiro
.
, the Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai
, as well as prayers such as the Aramaic Kaddish
.
The final movement of Fairouz's First Symphony Homage to a Belly Dancer is based on an essay by Edward Said
about the Egyptian belly dancer Tahia Carioca.
book of the same title and was written for violinist Nicholas Kitchen and cellist Yeesun Kim.
Fairouz has also written a clarinet concerto, Tahrir, for David Krakauer
. The works takes its title from Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.
Fairouz is currently developing his second opera Eichmann in Jerusalem with American Opera Projects
. It is based on the Eichmann Trial as documented by Hannah Arendt
in her book, Eichmann in Jerusalem
.
is composed in three movements titled March, “Lamentus (for my fallen heros),” and “Dance and Little Song.”
His Lamentation and Satire for string quartet was recorded by the Borromeo String Quartet
for release on GM/Living Archive Recordings.
Fairouz has written a Sonata for Unaccompanied Violin for Rachel Barton Pine
.
Arab American
An Arab American is a United States citizen or resident of Arab ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage or identity, who identifies themselves as Arab. Arab Americans trace ancestry to any of the various waves of immigrants of the countries comprising the Arab World...
composer.
Having fulfilling many commissions and created a substantial body of frequently performed works, he is considered one of the most sought after composers of the young generation. Fairouz began composing at an early age and studied at the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
. His teachers included Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...
, Halim El-Dabh
Halim El-Dabh
Halim Abdul Messieh El-Dabh is an Egyptian-born American composer, performer, ethnomusicologist, and educator, who has had a career spanning six decades...
and John Heiss.
Mohammed Fairouz's music is published by Peermusic Classical.
Fairouz lives in the Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
neighborhood of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Vocal Music
Fairouz first set poems of Oscar WildeOscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
at the age of 7 and has gone on to write hundreds of art songs and over a dozen song cycles. In Poets & Writers Magazine
Poets & Writers
Poets & Writers, Inc. is one of the largest nonprofit literary organization in the United States serving poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers...
, he described himself as being obsessed with text.
Three Fragments of Ibn Khafājah was commissioned by the Cygnus Ensemble and sets poetry by Arab Andalucian
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
poet Ibn Khafajah.
Musicians for Harmony commissioned the song cycle Furia for baritone Randall Scarlata together with the Imani Winds
Imani Winds
Imani Winds is an American wind quintet based in New York. The group was founded in 1997 and is known for its adventurous programming, which includes newly composed works, as well as compositions featuring African, Latin American, and American influences...
and the Borromeo String Quartet
Borromeo String Quartet
The Borromeo String Quartet is an American string quartet, in residence at the New England Conservatory since 1992. They have performed throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, at numerous festivals and in many distinguished chamber music series...
and sets Western texts about the Middle East.
Jeder Mensch, was written for Kate Lindsey
Kate Lindsey
Kate Lindsey is a mezzo-soprano opera singer from the United States.Lindsey holds a Bachelor of Music Degree with Distinction from Indiana University. Her many awards include the 2007 Richard F. Gold Career Grant, the 2007 George London Award in memory of Lloyd Rigler, the 2007 Lincoln Center...
with texts set from the diaries of Alma Mahler
Alma Mahler
Alma Maria Mahler Gropius Werfel was a Viennese-born socialite well known in her youth for her beauty and vivacity. She became the wife, successively, of composer Gustav Mahler, architect Walter Gropius, and novelist Franz Werfel, as well as the consort of several other prominent men...
.
Fairouz has also collaborated extensively with living poets. Bonsai Journal, on texts by Judson Evans, was released on Albany Records
Albany Records
Albany Records is an American classical music record label focusing particularly on contemporary classical music. It was established by Peter Kermani in 1987, and is based in Albany, New York.-External links:**...
.
The Pierrot ensemble
Pierrot ensemble
A Pierrot ensemble is a musical ensemble comprising flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano, frequently augmented by the addition of a singer or percussionist, and/or by the performers doubling on other woodwind/stringed/keyboard instruments.-History:...
, Lunatics at Large
Lunatics at Large
Lunatics at Large is a New Music chamber ensemble based in New York City. It was formed in 2007 in order to explore the repertoire for mixed chamber combinations beginning with Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot lunaire, op. 21...
commissioned the cycle Unwritten on texts by David Shapiro
David Shapiro (poet)
David Shapiro is an American poet, literary critic, and art historian. He has written some twenty volumes of poetry, literary, and art criticism...
.
Symphonies
Fairouz's Third Symphony Poems and Prayers was commissioned by the Middle East Center for Peace Culture and Development and is cast for solo voices, chorus and orchestra. The Symphony sets the texts of Arab poets such as Fadwa Tuqan and Mahmoud DarwishMahmoud Darwish
Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and author who won numerous awards for his literary output and was regarded as the Palestinian national poet...
, the Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai
Yehuda Amichai
Yehuda Amichai was an Israeli poet. Amichai is considered by many, both in Israel and internationally, as Israel's greatest modern poet. He was also one of the first to write in colloquial Hebrew....
, as well as prayers such as the Aramaic Kaddish
Kaddish
Kaddish is a prayer found in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy different versions of the Kaddish are used functionally as separators between sections of the service...
.
The final movement of Fairouz's First Symphony Homage to a Belly Dancer is based on an essay by Edward Said
Edward Said
Edward Wadie Saïd was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and advocate for Palestinian rights. He was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and a founding figure in postcolonialism...
about the Egyptian belly dancer Tahia Carioca.
Concertos
Fairouz's Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and orchestra States of Fantasy was commissioned by New York-based orchestra Ensemble 212. It is inspired by Jacqueline Rose'sJacqueline Rose
Jacqueline Rose is a British academic who is currently Professor of English at Queen Mary, University of London.-Life and work:...
book of the same title and was written for violinist Nicholas Kitchen and cellist Yeesun Kim.
Fairouz has also written a clarinet concerto, Tahrir, for David Krakauer
David Krakauer
David Krakauer is an American clarinetist. He is a graduate of the High School of Music & Art, class of 1974. He is mostly known for his klezmer compositions. He became involved with klezmer music in the late 1980s while working as a classical musician, joining The Klezmatics...
. The works takes its title from Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.
Operas
Sumeida's Song is Fairouz's first opera and is based on the play Song of Death by the Egyptian playwright Tawfiq al-Hakim The opera follows the return of the protagonist Alwan to his Upper Egyptian peasant village, and his attempts to bring modernity to darkness in an effort to break a never ending cycle of violence. The opera also clearly depicts the grave consequences of this pioneering energy.Fairouz is currently developing his second opera Eichmann in Jerusalem with American Opera Projects
American Opera Projects
American Opera Projects is a professional opera company based in New York City, NY and is a member of OPERA America, the Fort Greene Association, and the Alliance of Resident Theatres/ New York]] . The company's primary mission is to develop and present new works...
. It is based on the Eichmann Trial as documented by Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt was a German American political theorist. She has often been described as a philosopher, although she refused that label on the grounds that philosophy is concerned with "man in the singular." She described herself instead as a political theorist because her work centers on the fact...
in her book, Eichmann in Jerusalem
Eichmann in Jerusalem
Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil is a book written by political theorist Hannah Arendt, originally published in 1963...
.
Chamber and Solo Music
Fairouz's Wind Quintet, written for the Imani WindsImani Winds
Imani Winds is an American wind quintet based in New York. The group was founded in 1997 and is known for its adventurous programming, which includes newly composed works, as well as compositions featuring African, Latin American, and American influences...
is composed in three movements titled March, “Lamentus (for my fallen heros),” and “Dance and Little Song.”
His Lamentation and Satire for string quartet was recorded by the Borromeo String Quartet
Borromeo String Quartet
The Borromeo String Quartet is an American string quartet, in residence at the New England Conservatory since 1992. They have performed throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, at numerous festivals and in many distinguished chamber music series...
for release on GM/Living Archive Recordings.
Fairouz has written a Sonata for Unaccompanied Violin for Rachel Barton Pine
Rachel Barton Pine
Rachel Barton Pine is a violinist from Chicago. Considered a child prodigy at the violin, she started playing at the age of 3 and a half. She played at many renowned venues as a child and teenager...
.
Recordings
- 2008 - Boston Diary (Albany Records TROY1176)
- 2010 - As It Was, Is, and Will Be (GM Recordings GM 2080) by Borromeo String QuartetBorromeo String QuartetThe Borromeo String Quartet is an American string quartet, in residence at the New England Conservatory since 1992. They have performed throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, at numerous festivals and in many distinguished chamber music series...