1. Malek Jandali was born on 1972 and is a West German-born Syrian-American composer and pianist, whose music integrates Middle-Eastern modes and Arabic maqams into Western structures of classical music.
24 Facts About Malek Jandali
1. 2.
Malek Jandali is the founder of the nonprofit organization Pianos for Peace, which aims to build peace through music and education.
3.
Malek Jandali is composer-in-residence at both Queens University of Charlotte and at Qatar Museums.
4.
Malek Jandali's music was described as "a major new addition to the 21st century symphonic literature" by Fanfare magazine.
5.
Malek Jandali is the biological paternal cousin of Steve Jobs and Mona Simpson.
6.
Malek Jandali was born to Mamoun Jandali and Lina Droubi, citizens of Homs in Syria.
7.
Malek Jandali has a cousin, Mona Simpson, a novelist and English teacher at UCLA.
8.
Malek Jandali began his musical career as a classical pianist after his studies at the Higher Institute of Music in Damascus with Vladimir Zaritsky and Victor Bunin of the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory.
9.
Malek Jandali won first place in the Syrian National Young Artists Competition in 1988, and in 1995 received a scholarship to attend North Carolina School of the Arts under Eric Larsen.
10.
Malek Jandali graduated from Queens University, where he studied under Paul Nitsch and received the Outstanding Musical Performer Award of the school.
11.
Malek Jandali's compositions have been performed, recorded and commissioned by including the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ludwig Symphony Orchestra, Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, The Stockholm Solister and the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra.
12.
Malek Jandali has composed works ranging from solo instrumental pieces to chamber music and works for large ensemble or orchestras.
13.
Malek Jandali has a special interest in Arab music and combines the maqamat or modes with western harmony in his piano and orchestral compositions.
14.
Malek Jandali released his first album of compositions for piano and orchestra, Echoes from Ugarit, in June 2009.
15.
In early 2012 Malek Jandali released his album Emessa, which he dedicated to "the Syrian people and their noble quest for freedom - especially the people of Homs".
16.
Malek Jandali is the founder of nonprofit organization Pianos for Peace, which aspires to use the power of music to enrich communities through an annual outdoor festival and several year-round community outreach programs serving under-resourced local schools and organizations in Atlanta.
17.
Malek Jandali is the founder of the Malek Jandali International Youth Piano Competition, which encourages talented young pianists from around the globe to embrace the music of their homelands and submit applications for the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
18.
Malek Jandali frequently contributes to charity events collaborating with international organization's UNICEF, MSF, Save The Children among others, to raise humanitarian aid for children in need around the world.
19.
Malek Jandali has visited refugee camps in Turkey, Syria, Croatia and Malta to raise awareness and humanitarian aid for refugees, and was inspired to launch his ongoing world tour "The Voice of the Free Syrian Children" in 2013.
20.
In 2014 Malek Jandali was awarded the Global Music Humanitarian Award for his contribution to peace and justice for the Syrian children.
21.
In July 2011 Malek Jandali performed Watani Ana at a protest in Lafayette Park.
22.
Malek Jandali is regularly invited to speak and participate in panel discussions and academic workshops.
23.
Malek Jandali was on the panel of the 2012 Doha Debates at Georgetown University in Qatar and was featured in the 2014 BBC series "What Freedom Looks Like".
24.
Malek Jandali has given lectures, masterclasses and workshops at numerous universities and institutions such as Harvard, Duke, Columbia, UCLA, Notre Dame, Rice, Vanderbilt, Fordham, CU Boulder, and Queens.