Ali Authman

Place of birth

Kurdistan (Iraq)

My story

My name is Ali Authman (born 1973, Sulaymanyah, Kurdistan). I am a composer and violist. I started music lessons at the age of 14, in Sulaymanyah. The first song I played was by the Kurdish singer Hassan Zirek. After studying music in Baghdad and teaching for a while, I fled to the Netherlands in 1997. There I studied composition at the ArtEZ Conservatory, where I received my bachelor's degree in 2007 and my master's in 2009. Since then, my work has been performed internationally.

Instrument

Viola

My input in the orchestra

I play the viola. Because I also have knowledge of Eastern music, I can add extra color to the orchestra. Moreover, the viola plays a unifying role between the different layers of music and has a unique timbre.