Kinan Abou-Afach

Kinan Abou-afach was born March 26,1977 in Damascus, Syria. He commenced his musical studies at the age of seven with the ‘Ud (Arabic Lute), learning traditional Arabic repertoire and the maqam system (Arabic scale system). At the age of eight he began studying the Cello under Mr. Pavel Coupin at the Arabic Institute of music, he changed to Mr. Rasi Abdullaiev, one year later. At this institution he flourished into an equally over-achieving ‘Ud and Cello player. Music wasn’t his only mode of expression. Along with his music, Kinan was immersed into the world of visual arts. At the age of four, Kinan participated in an art exhibition, were his paintings were presented in Al-rewaq gallery in Damascus; and a few years later, his paintings were presented in many galleries, with some of the most famous painters in the Arabic world (Zuhair Ghanam and others).

At the age of fifteen he studied cello under Valery Volkov, also he became a full-time member of the Syrian Symphony and the Middle-Eastern ensemble. By this age, he was invited to participate in domestic and foreign music events as both a classical musician and a traditional Arabic musician. In 1993, he received his First degree in cello and ‘Ud performance in the music preparatory program of the Arabic Institute of Music. From 1994 to 1999 he studied to obtain his bachelor’s degree majoring in cello performance with a minor in Ud performance at The Higher Institute of Music in Damascus, Syria. Kinan has performed as a soloist with various orchestras throughout Syria and the Middle-East. He also has participated in master-classes with Francoise Baduell in 1997, Federico Romano in 1998, Yo-yo Ma in 1999, members of Alban Berg Quartet in 2002.

Kinan moved to Chicago in 2000 to obtain his Masters Degree at DePaul University School of Music. He is currently studying under Stephen Balderston, assistant principal of the Chicago Symphony, cello section. Kinan is now a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. In Chicago, he had the opportunity to work as an intern under Cliff Colnot Music and the Chicago Recording Company (C.R.C).
For the last four years he has been experimenting on creating a modern genre of traditional Middle-Eastern music based on his studies and experience in classical and modern music and apply it with the Arabic Maqam System (Arabic scales). The music is based on improvisational ideas that reflect the Middle-Eastern philosophy, which is performed with the depth and warmth of the cello and the rich-ethnic sound of the ‘Ud , making these compositions unique. Also recently, he has collaborated with Zoya Company (computer software company) to compose the sound track of a computer game that was launched nationally.

Nazih Abou-afach, Kinan’s father, is a nationally recognized painter and poet. His books are translated into six languages and he is a renowned artist in Europe and the Arabic world.