Biography
Composer Karim Al-Zand’s (b.1970) music is acclaimed for its expressive power and imaginative spirit, described by the Boston Globe as “strong and startlingly lovely.” His works have been performed across North American and internationally, earning him such distinctions as the Arts and Letter Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the 2024 Barlow Prize. A prolific and versatile composer, Al-Zand has created a catalogue of works spanning orchestra, opera, chamber, vocal and solo repertoire. His music embraces a variety of interests, issues and influences. It explores connections between sound and other art forms, drawing inspiration from graphic art, myths and fables, folk music of the world, film, poetry, jazz, and his own Middle Eastern heritage. From compositions for young audiences to scores for dances to interdisciplinary projects, Al-Zand’s music resonates with a wide range of listeners and collaborators.
Alongside his creative work, Al-Zand is a founding and artistic director of Musiqa, Houston’s leading contemporary music ensemble, where he helps shape programming of 21st century repertoire. In his scholarly work, he has pursued several diverse areas of music theory, including topics in jazz, counterpoint, and improvisation (both jazz and 18th century extemporization). Al-Zand was born in Tunis, Tunisia, to an Iraqi father and an American mother. He was raised in Ottawa, Canada and educated in Montreal (McGill University, BMus 1993) and Cambridge (Harvard University, PhD 2000). Since 2000 he has taught composition and music theory in Houston at the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University.
