Who Am I
Samer Rashed is a viola player, composer and music performer from Jerusalem. He continued his masters in Gypsy, Turkish and Jazz music in Istanbul. Throughout his music career, he performed in many countries and alongside well renowned musicians. Since 2007, he has participated in concerts and festivals in Sweden, Greece, Bahrain, Finland, Belgium, Serbia, Lebanon, Spain, Norway, Jordan, Syria, Kuwait and the UAE. His most noteworthy participations include the Proms Festival in London, alongside world-renowned Violinist Nigel Kennedy, Beiteddine Art Festival with Artist Marcel Khalifeh, the International Jazz Festival in Norway and the World jazz festival in Germany, in addition to many performances in Serbia, Sweden, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, Greece, Spain, Belgium, Bahrain, and Denmark. In May 2016, Samer launched the first Viola and Gypsy Jazz album in Palestine “Gypsy Rhapsodies”. The album included original pieces and re-arranged covers in jazz and gypsy music and was introduced to audiences through multiple local concerts in different cities including Jerusalem, Haifa, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Golan Heights. In May 2019, Samer launched his second album, “Tales of the Gypsy Jazz”, which consisted of all original pieces in the genre of the gypsy jazz. The music pieces from the second album were performed with distinctive music instruments (such as the buzuq and accordion) and reflected high technique in Gypsy Jazz music that introduced yet again the unprecedented employment of the viola in this genre. The second album was highly well-received by audiences locally and abroad, as the album tour included multiple and recurring performances in the local cities of Jerusalem, Haifa, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Golan Heights, as well as performances in the UK in November 2019. Samer’s UK album tour included performances in the cities of London, Birmingham, Coventry, and Sheffield. In June 2022, Samer an international tour in the UK, he performed at the Rich Mix London in collaboration with Al Marsam UK, in Sheffield in collaboration with PalFest Sheffield, and in Birmingham at the Midland Art Center along with Surge Forward orchestra.