THE LIVING COMPOSERS PROJECT  

Mohammed Uthman Sidiq

(b. 1962, Baghdad).

Iraqi composer, now resident in Jordan, of orchestral and chamber works that have been performed in Europe, the Middle East and North America; he is also active as a conductor.

Mr. Sidiq is self-taught as a composer. He studied piano at the Music and Ballet School in Baghdad from 1968–80 and there he earned a diploma. He then studied piano with Vera Barisivna at the Gnessin State Musical College in Moscow, where he received his MMus in 1997.

Among his honours are First Prize in a competition in Baghdad (1992, for Al-Amiriyya), Grand Prize in the Arab Songs competition in Cairo (2000, for his arrangement of the song from Jordan Oud Lee) and First Prize in the Jordanian Song Festival (2002, for Ya dam'i il mur). His music has been performed in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and the USA.

As a conductor, he served as principal conductor of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra in Baghdad from 1991–93. He has conducted the Orchestra of the National Conservatory of Music of the Noor al-Hussein Foundation in Amman since 1994. He has also conducted orchestras in Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Jordan, and the USA.

He has taught composition, conducting, ear training, and piano at the National Conservatory of Music of the Noor al-Hussein Foundation since 1994, where he has also served as assistant director of academic affairs since 2000.

In addition to the works listed below, Mr. Sidiq has composed numerous popular songs and has made many arrangements.

He is the brother of the composer Zaid Uthman Sidiq.

CONTACT INFORMATION

E-mail address: sidiq@hotmail.com

SELECT LIST OF WORKS

ORCHESTRAL:

Al-Amiriyya (elegy), 1992

Symphony No. 1, 1992

Concerto, ney (flute from the Middle East), string orchestra, 2000

Melody, qanun (zither from the Middle East), orchestra, 2000

Dialogue, ney/flute, string orchestra, 2002

Hope, oud (lute from the Middle East), string orchestra, 2002

CHAMBER MUSIC:

Memory, cello, piano, 1994

Elegy, string quartet, 2001

Fog al-nakhalOn the Palm, 3 cellos, 2001