Learn from the Masters

Ahmed Mukhtar

Oud · Arabic Music Theory · Percussion

Born in Baghdad, Mukhtar has played the oud and Arabic percussion since 1979. He studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad under masters Ghanim Haddad and Jameel Jerjis, worked with Arabic orchestras, and performed on Iraqi TV throughout the 1980s.

He completed an MA Diploma at the London College of Music in 1999 and a Masters in Performance from SOAS in 2003. He founded the school in 2011 to make the oud teachable in groups — properly — to adult students with no prior background in Arabic music.

Ignacio Lusardi Monteverde

Oud · Arabic Music Theory

A flamenco guitarist, producer and recording engineer based in London. Musician of the Year at the Latin UK Awards 2019. He holds a Doctorate from J H Pestalozzi University, is an Honorary Fellow of the North and Midlands School of Music, and a Fellow of the Guild of Musicians and Singers.

His recordings have been released on Nonclassical, Orpheus, ARC Music, Naxos and Orchid Classics, and include work at Abbey Road Studios. He has collaborated closely with Ahmed Mukhtar in performance and has taught oud at Taqasim since joining the school.

Saife Al-Naffakh

Oud

Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Saife has had a lifelong passion for Arabic music. He studied classical music theory between 1996 and 1997 before beginning oud lessons in 2009, which covered Arabic scales (Maqamat) and solfege. He has participated in many musical events and contributed to discussions about Iraqi and Arabic music.

Mariam Al-Hussona

Darbuka

studied darbuka with Master Ahmed Mukhtar 3 years a LAHP PhD student in Culture, Media and Creative Industries at King's College London. My research focuses on the politics and production of popularised southern Iraqi dance using ethnographic, archival and practice-based methods.

Ruba Hillawi

An Iraqi academic, born in Sharjah, U.A.E., Ruba was raised in a household where the exposure and appreciation of many cultural traditions was considered to be part and parcel of becoming a world citizen. So, it is not surprising that her interests in exploring many artistic and cultural practices started at a very young age.

Ruba grew up listening to the golden oldies of Arabic music. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Ruba also began learning the play the play the music she had come to love. Her instrument of choice: the oud. In 2015, while teaching in London, Ruba began to advance her skills under the tutelage of oud master Ahmed Mukhtar. Since then, studying the oud has become a way to connect to the homeland that she has never experienced first-hand.

As an educator, with over 10 years of professional teaching experience, Ruba has been known to encourage the exploration of music and artistic practices of the various cultures represented in her classrooms. This was done with the aim of fostering inter-cultural appreciation amongst her students. As a music teacher, she enjoys sharing her own musical heritage with the students at Taqasim.

Academic credentials: 2023 – M.A. – Music, SOAS, London 2017 – M.A. – Cultural Studies, SOAS, London 2011 – Honors B.Ed. – Primary Junior Education, University of Western Onta