Mohammed Haddad () (born 2 October 1975) is a Bahraini

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...

. He is an active artist in the music scene of

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

and a leading composer in the

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

s of Bahraini films. He is best known for his work on the soundtrack of the critically acclaimed Bahraini motion picture '' A Bahraini Tale''.

Early life and family

Mohammed Haddad was born on October 2, 1975, in

Muharraq Muharraq () is Bahrain's third most populous city and served as its capital until 1932 when it was replaced by Manama. The population of Muharraq in 2020 was 263,373. Muharraq served as the country’s capital until 1932. It rose to prominenc ...

, the second child of father Qassim Haddad and Mother Moza Al Shamlan, along with his elder sister Tufool Haddad and younger brother Mahyar Haddad. His father poet Qassim Haddad is an influential cultural figure in Bahrain. In 1982, when Haddad was seven years old, he told his parents that he wanted to study music and become a musician. Picked up the Keyboard at the age of 8 and quickly became the leading musician in his primary school's music band. When he moved to his intermediate school at the age of 12, he picked up the

Oud The oud ( ; , ) is a Middle Eastern short-neck lute-type, pear-shaped, fretless stringed instrument (a chordophone in the Hornbostel–Sachs classification of instruments), usually with 11 strings grouped in six courses, but some models have ...

and made it his major instrument until he flew to Cairo to pursue a degree in music, where he studied

music composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...

and

conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or Choir, choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary d ...

at the Cairo Conservatory of Music, focusing on the

Piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

. Upon his return to Bahrain from Cairo in 2001, he secured a position as the music specialist and the head of the Music club at the

University of Bahrain The University of Bahrain (), often abbreviated as UOB, is a public university in Bahrain. Established by royal decree in 1986, it has since become the largest institution of higher education in Bahrain, with three campuses ( Sakhir, Isa Town, an ...

. In 2005, he married the architect Maysam Al Nasser.

Education

In 2000, Haddad had obtained his bachelor's degree in Music composition and conducting with an honors with distinction degree from the Cairo Conservatory of Music, Academy of Art,

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. Between those seven years 1993 - 2000, Haddad studied score-reading, orchestration and conducting under maestro Ahmed El-Saedi, counterpoint and music analysis under professor

Awatef Abdel Karim Awatef Abdel Karim (; 8 February 1931 - 24 April 2021) was an Egyptian composer of contemporary classical music. Karim was the first Egyptians, Egyptian female composer to formally study music composition. She composed for piano, violin, choir, a ...

and composition basics under Ahmad Abdulla,

Mona Ghoneim Mona Ghoneim (; b. 1955; first name also spelled Mauna) is an Egyptian composer of contemporary classical music and pianist. She is a member of that nation's third generation of such composers. Ghoneim studied piano with E. Puglisi and compositio ...

and Rageh Dawood. In 1997, while Haddad was enrolled in his bachelor program in Cairo, he also participated in Bahrain in a musical workshop for Oud under the supervision of the Iraqi musician Naseer Shamma.

Achievements

Upon his return from his educational journey in Cairo, Haddad was immediately involved in the art scene in Bahrain. In 2000, he composed the music for the play “Three Girls…Harem” right after his graduation. And continued composing the music and sound effects for a number of plays afterward including, “Wedding Night” in 2001, “Adhari” and “Life Is Not Very Serious in Its Bits and Pieces” in 2003, “At Midnight” in 2004 and “News of the Mad Lover” in 2005. Also, in 2005, while he was in a visit to

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, he composed music for the experimental animation “Emotion in Motion”- project by Hiba Aboulhosn,

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

. By the year 2006, Haddad had established himself as one of Bahrain's rising music composers, the same year he was assigned by Bahraini film director

Bassam Al-Thawadi Bassam Mohammed Al-Thawadi ( , born December 13, 1960) is a veteran Demographics of Bahrain, Bahraini filmmaker and film director, known for producing Bahrain's first feature film, ''The Barrier (1990 film), The Barrier'', in 1990. Regarded as a re ...

to compose the score of the Bahrain motion picture A Bahraini Tale. The movie received excellent reviews all around the Persian Gulf region. 2008 was a productive year for Haddad, he composed the score for six independent films, “Future Vision”, a documentary directed by

, then “A Dinner” directed by Hussain Al-Riffaei, “Absence” directed by Mohammed Bu-Ali, “Yaseen” directed by Jamal Al-Ghailan, then he worked with Emirati director Khalid Al-Mahmood in his short film “Bint al nokhitha”, and his last film in 2008 was “Mraimy” a short film directed by Ali Al-Ali. Haddad collaborated in two projects with his father, the poet Qassim Haddad, and his photographer sister, Tufool Haddad, “Tarafa” and “Vincent”, each of which resulted in a music CD, a book of poetry and narrative, and an album of art photos. He has also collaborated with a large group of musicians in Bahrain as a music arranger and oud player. One of the most important musicians with whom he worked continuously is Ala Ghawas, where he participated in a number of his albums as a string arranger, pianist and oud player. Mohammed Haddad had also been writing critical publications about music in several Bahraini newspapers since 1995 until today. He presented a wide range of music workshops and panel discussions in many festivals, including the Spring of Culture Festival in Bahrain, the Gulf Film Festival in the UAE, and the Saudi Film Festival.

Works

Albums

* 2016 �
Vincent
* 2011 –
Tarafa
' * 2006 –
A Bahraini Tale
'

Film scores

* 2014 – ''The Sleeping Tree (directed by Mohammed Rashed Buali)'' * 2010 – ''The Last Days of Yousif (directed by Mohammed Janahi)'' * 2006 – '' A Bahraini Tale (directed by

)''

Short films

* 2019 – ''Sama (directed by Ammar Zainal)'' * 2019 – ''Curtain (directed by Mohamed Alsalman)'' * 2019 – ''Attempt (directed by Yacob Almarzoog)'' * 2018 – ''An Angel Leave (directed by Mousa Althunyan)'' * 2017 – ''Tongue (directed by Mohamed Alsalman)'' * 2016 – ''The Rooster (directed by Salman Yousef)'' * 2015 – ''Ikare (directed by Anish Babu Verghese)'' * 2015 – ''There will be light (directed by Salman Yousif)'' * 2014 – ''Woman Remains (directed by Hassan Eskafi)'' * 2014 – ''Central Market (directed by Saleh Nass)'' * 2013 – ''Grievance (directed by Emad Ali Abbas)'' * 2012 – ''One-Way (directed by Hassan Eskafi)'' * 2012 – ''Huna London (directed by Mohammed Bu-Ali)'' * 2009 – ''The Cage (directed by Hussain Al-Riffaei)'' * 2009 – ''Burning flowers (directed by Mohammed Ibrahim)'' * 2009 – ''The Good Omen (directed by Mohammed Bu-Ali)'' * 2008 – ''Mraimy (directed by Ali Al-Ali)'' * 2008 – ''Bint al nokhitha (directed by Khalid Al-Mahmood)'' * 2008 – ''Yassin (directed by Jamal Al-Ghailan)'' * 2008 – ''Absence (directed by Mohammed Bu-Ali)'' * 2008 – ''A Dinner (directed by Hussain Al-Riffaei)''

Documentary films

* 2017 – ''Sharp Tools (directed by Nujoom AlGhanem)'' * 2013 – ''Honey, Rain & Dust (directed by Nujoom AlGhanem)'' * 2008 – ''Red, Blue & Yellow (directed by Nujoom AlGhanem)'' * 2008 – ''Future Vision (directed by

)'' * 1999 – ''Between two Banks (directed by Nujoom AlGhanem)''

Animation

* 2011 – ''The Waterfront Promenade (produced by

Durrat Al Bahrain Durrat Al Bahrain () is the third largest artificial island in Bahrain after Northern City and Diyar Al Muharraq Islands. It lies south of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island. Description Durrat Al Bahrain islands include luxury villas wi ...

)'' * 2010 – ''The Smart City (produced by

COWI A/S COWI A/S is an international consulting group, specializing in engineering, environmental science and economics, with headquarters located in Lyngby, Denmark. It has been involved in more than 50,000 projects in 175 countries and has approximat ...

)'' * 2005 – ''Emotion in Motion (created by Hiba Aboulhosn)''

Theatrical music

* 2019 – ''Tune of the statues (directed by Taher Mohsen, Awal Theatre)'' * 2018 – ''The Barrier (directed by Ibrahim Khalfan, Sawari Theatre)'' * 2010 – ''The first page of the newspaper (directed by Abdulla Al-Sa'dawi, Sawari Theatre)'' * 2005 – ''News of the Mad Lover (directed by Khalid Al-Rowaie, Awal Theatre)'' * 2004 – ''At Midnight (directed by Abdulla Al-Sa'dawi, Sawari Theatre)'' * 2003 – ''Life Is Not Very Serious in Its Bits and Pieces (directed by Abdulla Al-Sa'dawi, Sawari Theatre)'' * 2003 – ''Adhari (directed by Juma'an Al-Rowaie, Awal Theatre)'' * 2001 – ''Wedding Night (directed by Abdulla Swayid, Al-Jazeera Theatre)'' * 2000 – ''Three Girls…Harem (directed by Khalid Al-Rowaie, Sawari Theatre)'' * 1997 – ''Basements (directed by Jamal Al-Saqer)'' * 1995 – ''Last Soup (directed by Yousef Al-Hamdan, Sawari Theatre)''

Participations

* Nov 2013 - ''Armor'' - Bahrain (Strings arrangement for the song “Ashes” by the Bahraini artist Ala Ghawas, performed by Studio Pros Strings) - Los Angeles, USA. * Sep 2013 - '' Qassim Haddad... Almost'' - Bahrain (Arranged music for two Ouds for a song by Hassan Haddad) - Ministry of Culture. * Jul 2012 - ''The Bahraini'' - Bahrain (Musically arranged the chant “The Bahraini” by Al Walla Band). * Apr 2012 - ''Watan'' - Bahrain (Participated as a composer and piano player, with a group of musicians, in the concert “Watan”) - Al Riwaq Art Space. * Oct 2007 - ''

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

...

Arab Capital of Culture The Arab Capital of Culture () is an initiative taken by the Arab League under the UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized age ...

2007'' - Algeria (Participated with original Pieces composed for piano in The Cultural Bahraini Week as part of “Algeria... Arab Capital of Culture 2007”), Palais de la Culture. * Mar 2007 - ''10th International Universities Art Convention'' - Egypt (Participated in the 10th International Universities Art Convention, in South Valley University) - Hurghada. * Nov 2006 - ''Magic Flute, but not only...'' - France (Participated with the UNESCO's traditional orchestra Playing the Oud, in a musical Concert entitled Magic Flute, but not only...(Part III of Mozart, but not only ...), on the occasion of Closure of UNESCO's 60th anniversary celebration,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

) - Paris. * Nov 2005 - ''The Cultural Bahraini Days'' - United Arab Emirates (Participated in The Cultural Bahraini Days with original Pieces composed for piano) - Abu Dhabi. * Jul 2003 - ''Ziryab'' - Bahrain (Participated as a composer and piano player, with a group of musicians, in the concert “Ziryab”) - Isa Town Sport and cultural Club. * Oct 2003 - ''Bahrain's 12th International Music Festival'' - Bahrain (Participated in Bahrain's 12th International Music Festival, by composing '' Forlorn Apse'', a piece for piano and cello, performed by members of Bahrain's Music Band, The Directorate of Culture and National Heritage of the Ministry of Information) -

Bahrain National Museum The Bahrain National Museum () is the largest and oldest public museum in Bahrain. It is situated in Manama, adjacent to the National Theatre of Bahrain. Opened on 15 December 1988 by the Emir of Bahrain Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the $30 mil ...

. * Oct 2002 - ''(Ja'salam) Cultural Festival'' - Switzerland (Participated in (Ja'salam) Cultural Festival, Invited by the festival organizer Sandro Lunin, the director of Schlachthaus in Bern, music for the play “Three Girls…Harem”) - Bern. * Oct 2002 - ''Arabic Child’s Song Festival'' - Jordon (Participated in the Arabic Child's Song Festival, music and arrangement for the song “Challenge”) - Amman. * Oct 2002 - ''Bahrain's 11th International Music Festival'' - Bahrain (Participated in Bahrain's 11th International Music Festival, composing ''A Dance, followed by a little Death'', a piece for Orchestra, performed by The

European Union Chamber Orchestra The European Union Chamber Orchestra (EUCO) is a chamber orchestra with funding from the European Commission, founded in 1981 and initially known as the European Community Chamber Orchestra. The orchestra has toured worldwide and broadcast on BBC R ...

, Conducted by Gernot Süssmuth, The Directorate of Culture and National Heritage of the Ministry of Information) - Bahrain National Museum. * Jul 2002 - ''5th International University Theatre Arts Festival'' - Lebanon (Participated in the 5th International University Theatre Arts Festival, with music composition and arrangement for the original songs ''Voyaging Amulet'', ''Land of prophets'' and Piano

Nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' "of the night") was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

''Friend of the moon'',

Lebanese American University The Lebanese American University (LAU; ) is a secular private American university with campuses in Beirut, Byblos, and New York. It is chartered by the board of regents of the University of the State of New York and is recognized by the Lebane ...

AU - Beirut. * Oct 2001 - ''For her'' - Bahrain (Participated as a composer and piano player, with a group of musicians, in a concert entitled “For her”, dedicated to Al Aqsa

Second Intifada The Second Intifada (; ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its Israeli-occupied territories, occupation from 2000. Starting as a civilian uprising in Jerusalem and October 2000 prot ...

) - Gulf air Club. * Jun 2001 - ''International Day in Support of Torture Victims'' - Bahrain (Participated in the United Nations International Day in Support of Torture Victims, playing the Oud, accompanied by the poem “Martyr” of Qassim Haddad) - Al Oroba Club. * Oct 2000 - ''Bahrain's 9th International Music Festival'' - Bahrain (Participated in Bahrain's 9th International Music Festival, as a soloist accompanied by Bahrain's Music Band) - The Directorate of Culture and National Heritage of the Ministry of Information. * Jul 1999 - ''Three Musicians Concert'' - Bahrain (Participated as a composer and piano player in “Three Musicians Concert”, Art Centre) - The Directorate of Culture and National Heritage of the Ministry of Information. * Sep 1997 - ''Overseas music students'' - Bahrain (participated as a composer, Oud and piano player, in a concert for overseas music students, Art center) - The Directorate of Culture and National Heritage of the Ministry of Information * Oct 1996 - ''Bahrain's 5th International Music Festival'' - Bahrain (Participated in Bahrain's 5th International Music Festival. played the Arabic lute in a duet with the English

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...

player Bill Badley) - The Directorate of Culture and National Heritage of the Ministry of Information.

Collaborations

* 2016 - "

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artwork ...

's journals" - Bahrain (Worked with the poet Qassim Haddad and photographer Tufool Haddad on an art project that translates the painter

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

's life to musical, visual and poetic visions) Al Riwaq Art Space. * 2011 - "

Tarafa Tarafa ( / ALA-LC: ''Ṭarafah ibn al-‘Abd ibn Sufyān ibn Sa‘d Abū ‘Amr al-Bakrī al-Wā’ilī''; 543–569), was an Arabian poet of the tribe of the Bakr. He is one of the seven poets of the most celebrated anthology of ancient Arabic ...

ibn Alwardah" - Bahrain (Worked with the poet Qassim Haddad and photographer Tufool Haddad on an art project that translates the poet

Ibn Al Abd's life to musical visual and poetic visions) Al Riwaq Art Space. * 2010 - "The Sea has a rhythm" - Bahrain (Piano accompanist to the Poet Qassim Haddad in a poetry musical recital) - Bahrain Graduates club. * 2009 - ''Washaej'' with poet Ali Abdulla Khalifa - Bahrain. (Collaborated with the Bahraini poet Ali Abdulla Khalifa in the poetry recital Washaej, by composing the melody for some of his poems) - Isa cultural center. * 2008 – ''The Sorceress Woke Me Up'' with the Bahraini poet Qassim Haddad - Germany. (Played the piano as an accompanist to the poet Qassim Haddad in a poetry recital, “The Sorceress Woke Me Up”, west-östlicher diwan e.V. and supported by the

German Academic Exchange Service The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD; ), founded in 1925, is a joint organization of German universities and student bodies to foster their international relations. Since 1 January 2020, the president has been Joybrato Mukherjee. Organisa ...

DAAD) - Berlin. * 2007 - ''Doha 6th Cultural Festival'' with the Emarati poet Maisoon Saqr Al-Qasimi -

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

. (Performed a poetic musical concert with the Emirate poet Maisoon Saqr Al-Qasimi in Doha 6th Cultural Festival) -

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

. * 2007 - ''As One Heart'' with the Bahraini poet Ali Abdulla Khalifa - Bahrain. (Composing music in the CD including recited poems that accompanied the poetry book of poems in vernacular Arabic “As One Heart”) - Al-Ayam for Publishing and Distributing. * 2006 - ''Poetry recital'' with the German poet

Ilija Trojanow Ilija Trojanow (Bulgarian: Илия Троянов, also transliterated as Ilya Troyanov; born 23 August 1965 in Sofia) is a Bulgarian–German writer, translator and publisher. Life and literary career Trojanow was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1 ...

- Bahrain. (Played the piano as an accompanist to the German poet Ilija Trojanow in a poetry recital, Foreign Languages Department) -

. * 2006 - ''Bahrain: Rétrovision'' with the Bahraini photographer Deyana Ahmadi - Bahrain. (Collaborated in the Photography exhibition “Bahrain: Rétrovision” with Oud improvisations, photography by Deyana Ahmadi,

Institut du Monde Arabe The Institut du Monde Arabe (, ''Arab World Institute''; abbr. IMA) is an organisation founded in Paris in 1980 by France with 18 Arab countries to research and disseminate information about the Arab world and its cultural and spiritual values. ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) -

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. * 2005 - ''The Sorceress Woke Me Up'' with the Bahraini poet Qassim Haddad - Bahrain. (Played the piano as an accompanist to the poet Qassim Haddad in a poetry recital, “The Sorceress Woke Me Up” - Abdulla Al Zayed house for Bahrain Press Heritage) – Muharraq. * 2005 - ''Suwalef Dunya'' with singer Khaled El Sheikh - Bahrain. (Musically arranged the songs composed by Khalid El-Shaikh for the television series “Suwalef Dunya”) - Qatar Television. * 2005 - ''Dream Layers'' with sculptor Khalid Farhan - Bahrain. (Performed live piano improvisations in the opening for the first exhibition of the Bahraini sculptor Khalid Farhan “Dream Layers”, inspired by the Sculptures - Abdulla Al Zayed house for Bahrain Press Heritage) - Muharraq. * 2004 - ''Poetry recital'' with poet Qassim Haddad - Bahrain. (Played the Arabic Lute as an accompanist to the Bahraini poet Qassim Haddad in a poetry recital - Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa Center for Culture and Research) - Muharraq.

Awards

Mohammed Haddad has won the Excellence Prize in Bahraini Theatrical Performance for ‘Best Music & Sound Effects’ twice and back-to-back. In 2004, he won it for his music composition in the play '' News of the Mad Lover'', And in 2005, he won it once again for his work in the play '' Adhari'' directed by Juma'an Al-Rowaie. Haddad was recognized and honored by the directorate of culture and national heritage of the ministry of information in the Kingdom of Bahrain. In August 2008 he awarded an appreciation certificate for his original music for both short films '' Absence'' & '' A Dinner'' from Al-Reef second Short Film Festival in Bahrain.

References

External links

Mohammed Haddad official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haddad, Mohammed 1975 births Living people 21st-century Bahraini musicians Bahraini composers Oud players Music critics Academic staff of the University of Bahrain