Rahim AlHaj was born in Baghdad, Iraq and began playing the oud at age nine. Early on, it was evident that he had a remarkable talent for playing the instrument. Rahim studied under the renowned Munir Bashir and Salim Abdul Kareem at the Institute of Music in Baghdad, Iraq. One of the true Iraqi oud masters, AlHaj's music delicately combines traditional Iraqi maqams with contemporary styling and influence. His songs establish new concepts without altering the foundation of the traditional Iraqi School of oud. Rahim has toured the world with his mentor Munir Bashir, as a soloist, with percussion accompaniment and with string quartet. He has performed with symphony orchestras, shared stages with such global music contemporaries as Natasha Atlas, Lila Downs, Thomas Mapfumo, and Bill Frisell and has recorded with Amjad Ali Khan, Bill Frisell, Peter Buck (REM), Liu Fang, Robert Mirabal, Ottmar Liebert and scores of others. Rahim has garnered many awards since his many as a student at the Institute of Music, Baghdad including two Grammy Nominations, his most recent in 2010. In December 2009 he was awarded a US Artist Ford Fellowship Grant. in 2015 he was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the USA's highest honor bestowed on traditional musicians.