About
Ali Omar El-Farouk is an Egyptian/Canadian guitarist and oud player based out of Montreal and Cairo. He is an active performer, teacher and composer with a professional career spanning more than two decades which include performances in Egypt, Canada, U.S.A., Turkey, Spain, and cruise ships touring the Bahamas and the British Isles. His versatile musical vocabulary is a result of his privileged exposure to both eastern and western cultures. He spent years studying jazz music, classical Arabic music, western classical music, and flamenco music.
He has worked in jazz groups, rock/blues/pop bands, all the way to Middle Eastern and flamenco ensembles. His performances include the Festival Du Monde Arabe, Festival Nuits D’Afrique, Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques Festival, and Festival Sefarad in Montreal as well as the Cairo Jazz Festival and the Jazz Mania Festival in Cairo.
His first album ‘Ela Mataa?’ was recorded in Montreal and released in January 2019. He holds a Licentiate degree in Jazz Performance from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, one of Canada’s top music institutes, and a Bachelor’s degree with Distinction in Jazz Studies from Concordia University in Montreal. He is as passionate about performing live as he as about teaching music and he teaches music at his own studio and online.