I’m a Danish-Palestinian composer and oud player, born and raised in the Galilean village of Daboryya. I first picked up the oud at 13, and a few years later I was studying formally at the Academy for Music and Dance in Jerusalem.

My journey has taken me far from home—from performing across Europe with the Arabic Music Orchestra of Nazareth, to working as a music teacher and artistic director at the Dhow Countries Music Academy in Zanzibar, before eventually settling in Denmark in 2008.

Over the years, I’ve composed original works and led projects like the Bilal Irshed Trio and The Fifth String Ensemble, blending classical chamber music with traditional Arabic sounds. My albums include Compositions and The Fifth String (2011), Chronotope (2015), and Ineffable (2015, with Global Tunes).

Most recently, I performed with Ensemble Storstrøm, weaving the oud into both traditional Middle Eastern songs and Western classical repertoire—a meeting of worlds that was broadcast live on DR P2.