Ali Paris

Ali Paris captivates audiences worldwide with his unique fusion of Middle Eastern and Western music styles highlighted by both technical virtuosity and emotional expression. He accompanies his singing with his instrument, the Qanun, a rare 76-string zither that dates back to the 14th century and is played by only a handful of people across the globe. Ali’s music education began at the age of 5 in his native countries of Morocco and Palestine studying Arabic traditional music with master Simon Shaheen. He quickly became known as a child prodigy, performing by age 9 and touring internationally by the age of 12. Since then he has received multiple international awards including the Artist of the Year (2005-2008) and has expanded his musical career exponentially, relocating to the United States to earn his degree at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music. He has collaborated with a long list of world-renowned artists such as Alicia Keys, Quincy Jones, Javier Limon and Bobby McFerrin. His solo performances have reached diverse audiences from the Newport and Istanbul Jazz Festivals to the White House in Washington DC and the Royal Palace in Jordan to play for both the President of Palestine and the Queen of Jordan. He has appeared as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Michigan Philharmonic and is featured in the renowned Grammy-winning Spanish documentary “Entre2aguas”and the Hollywood movie “Noah”, These appearances were the first to feature the Qanun as a multi-genre instrument on a grand scale. Ali has also collaborated with numerous world-renowned artists to benefit the work of Doctors Without Borders and Keep A Child Alive including a duet song with Spanish star Alejandro Sanz that has funded many humanitarian projects in Africa & the Middle-East. Ali Paris tours extensively with his group “Ali Paris Quartet”. These performances are marked not only for their brilliant musical genius, but also for their exploration of fertile ground in the crossover between Eastern and Western cultures and music genres. Connecting Eastern and Western music genres is my joy. “One of the most eclectic and diverse artists” ~ Alicia Keys “Unrivaled unique artist” ~ Quincy Jones