ABOUT ME

I was born and raised in Amman, Jordan. My mother was my first music teacher; she studied piano at the Beirut Conservatory of Music. I was fortunate to be a semi-finalist in the Fourth Van Cliburn International Competition for Outstanding Amateurs in 2004, a semi-finalist in the Washington International Piano Artist Competition in 2006, a winner in the Masters Concerto and Aria Competition (MCAC) in 2019 and a prize winner in the Music Academy of North Carolina National Piano Competition in 2000. My piano instructors have included John Ruggero (Raleigh, North Carolina), Christine Kefferstan (West Virginia University), Lita Guerra (University of Texas at Austin), and Samia Abu-Khader Ghannoum (Amman, Jordan). I have also coached with Walter Hautzig and Vanessa Cornett-Murtada. 

My compositional style explores the intersection of contemporary musical idioms and traditional Arabic culture. My works have been premiered in the USA, Australia, Ukraine, and Jordan.

I am a civil and environmental engineer currently working as a hydrologist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.