Born in Kuwait on 1971, Issam has studied in Kuwait and Syria at the High Institute of Music in Damascus as a student of Fayez Zahr El-Din, Aref Abdallah and Askar Ali-Akbar, He received his BA degree in Oud and Double Bass in 1995. Currently, in addition to his position as Chair of the Arabic Music Department at his alma mater in Damascus, he is on faculty of the Arab Conservatory where he teaches both Oud and western Harmony. Issam is also an active composer and arranger for Syrian TV and theater.
Fourth prizewinner at the Cairo Improvisation Competition 2000 (1st in the Oud category), Issam is a reputed soloist and the principal conductor of the High Institute of Music’s Arabic ensemble in residence in Damascus Syria.
His performances have taken him to world-renowned concert halls in France, Spain, Morocco, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, Kuwait and Syria; in addition to his several solo appearances with the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra. Issam was awarded the second prize at the “Arabic Traditional Ensembles” competition in Cairo, Egypt, 1997.
He is a member of Hewar group.
In 2020, Issam Rafea released an album with Chinese pipa master Hao Hong.
Discography:
Hewar (Incognito, 2005)
Rigodon (Incognito, 2007)
Insán (Incognito, 2007)
Letters to a homeland, with Hewar (Dreyer Gaido Musikproduktionen)
Pipa Potluck – Lutes Around the World (Innova, 2015)
Life As Is (Innova Records, 2018)
From Our World To Yours, with Gao Hong (ARC Music, 2020)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.