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BIOGRAPHY

Rahim AlHaj began teaching himself the oud at age nine (27 years ago). Early on, it was evident he had a remarkable talent for playing the oud. At age 18, he entered the Institute of Music in Baghdad. There he studied under the famous Munier Bashir and Salim Abdul Kareem. He graduated from the conservatory in 1990 with a diploma in composition. At the institute, he won awards for composition. Rahim also holds a degree in Arabic Literature from Mustensaria University in Baghdad. He was well-known in Iraq as a musician and composer. The situation in his country and his opposition to the Iraqi regime made it necessary for him to leave in 1991. He lived mainly in Jordan and Syria, where he also had some notoriety, before coming to the U.S. in March 2000. He now resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

He taught oud at the Institute for Arabic Music in Jordan. He performed in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Bahrain, & Egypt. He has also performed in Paris, France. Since arriving in the U.S. two years ago, he has played to audiences in New Mexico, Florida, and Texas. He completed his first CD in the U.S. entitled The Second Baghdad, in July 2002. The CD is already receiving national and international recognition.

His music is a delicate combination of traditional and contemporary oud music, with an emphasis on establishing new concepts without altering the foundation or tradition of the Iraqi School of Oud. He is one of the true oud masters from Iraq. Rahim says that "my music invites the listener to discover the true spirit of the musician." All of Rahim's compositions are original and many of them are about his experience of living in exile since 1991. His compositions are about loss, hope, freedom, and longing.



The Second Baghdad (2002, rah01)
Iraqi Music in a Time of War (2003, VoxLox)
Friendship (2004, VoxLox)