20 Facts About Zade Dirani

Zade Dirani, is a Jordanian American pianist, composer, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa, of Damascene descent, whose genre blending songs are inspired by Latin, pop, and classical music.

Zade Dirani has performed before thousands around the world including Queen Elizabeth and Nelson Mandela.

Zade Dirani has released eight CDs, which reflect his studies of each culture while attending the National Music Conservatory in Amman and the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Zade Dirani has toured extensively throughout the USand has performed in Spain, France, England, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Lebanon, Morocco, Kuwait, and Egypt.

Zade Dirani's father is an architect in Amman, and his parents assumed he would join the family firm when he was growing up.

Zade Dirani began playing the piano and composing music at the age of 13 for piano and orchestra.

Zade Dirani held his first public concert at the age of 19, at the Citidal in Amman, which is sited of the Temple of Hercules.

Zade Dirani was accompanied by the National Music Conservatory Symphony Orchestra founded by Queen Noor, at which he had studied.

Zade Dirani moved to the United States in 1988 to study at Santa Clara University and later at the Berklee College of Music, majoring in music composition and business and management.

Zade Dirani says, "There is no room for masquerading in music".

In February 2020, Zade Dirani released his 8th album entitled Un Piano y Amigos, produced by Spanish hitmaker David Santisteban, and featuring vocal collaborations with some of Spain's artists including India Martinez, David DeMaria, Ana Mena, Lorena Gomez, Soraya, and Paula Rojo.

Zade Dirani was invited by King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan to join them on the official state visit to the United Kingdom where he performed before Queen Elizabeth and the British royal family in London.

In May 2005, Zade Dirani performed at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC in celebration of Jordan's National Day by invitation from the Jordanian Ambassador to the United States.

In 2006, Zade Dirani launched an ambitious project entitled Roads to You, celebration of One World in Washington, DC under the patronage of Queen Noor of Jordan.

Zade Dirani had the idea of doing this while on a hiking trip in New Hampshire.

Zade Dirani was appointed UNICEF Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa in August 2016, with a focus on advocating for children caught in violence, conflict and poverty.

Zade Dirani collaborated with UNICEF on the creation of the song Heartbeat.

At 6.30 pm forty days after the Beirut Port explosion Zade Dirani joined other prominent artists in Lebanon near Beirut Port, to comfort the bereaved and pay tribute to those who were lost, in the performance of Recollect Beirut;.

In October 2004, Zade Dirani was awarded the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's Distinguished Achievements Award for his work that promotes global understanding through the arts.

Zade Dirani has received The Jordanian Ministry of Education Award for the Arts and The Arab-American Music, Art, and Literature Award.