Naseem Alatrash

Cellist/Composer Naseem Alatrash was born on October 4, 1991. His performance on cello is creative, untraditional, and unique. Alatrash is an accomplished classically trained musician who is also deeply rooted in the Arabic musical tradition and yet influenced by jazz and other contemporary styles. He has earned a reputation for fearlessly broadening the horizons of the cello on the world stage by using it in untraditional settings. After studying at The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Palestine, he completed a college preparation program in Germany. Alatrash later was the first Arab ever to be awarded a full presidential merit-based scholarship to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music, in Boston, Massachusetts, where he went on to achieve the highest honors in cello performance. Later he received a master’s degree in cello performance at the Global Jazz Institute at Berklee College of Music as well as a post-master’s fellowship degree.

He tours internationally with Amir ElSaffar’s Rivers of Sound Large Ensemble, and he recently joined The Global Messengers, a project with renowned Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez that aims to recover the function of the artist as a tool to redirect humanity in a positive direction. In addition, he performs with Palestinian-American virtuoso oudist/violinist Simon Shaheen, with the National Arab Orchestra, and with his string Duo Qawsaan and Trio Ayn.