Abdullah Chhadeh and Nara

“Spellbinding”, “innovative”, “gifted” are words that are time and again used to describe the performances and compositions on which qanun-player Abdullah Chhadeh’s blossoming international reputation is built.

Chhadeh has forged an international career as a musician and composer of striking technical brilliance and remarkable originality. A relentless musical adventurer, Chhadeh has spent the last five years introducing the distinctive sound of the qanun (an Arabic zither, a complex and beautiful 81-string instrument) to new and occasionally unexpected settings.

With his ensemble ‘Nara’, Chhadeh has developed a sound that blends the unmistakably Arabic qanun with jazz double bass and Western percussion, as well as its more traditional counterparts, such as the nay, darbuka, and Arabic accordion.

In constant demand as a guest performer, his recordings and collaborations have included both solo performances and featured soloist work with Sinead O’Connor, Jocelyn Pook, Natacha Atlas and David Arnold among others.