Abdullah Khalaf is a pianist, an academic and a winning award composer. His musical education began in 2001 at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait where he studied piano under the Polish born pianist Bartek Rybak. In 2008, Abdullah obtained his MA in piano performance from Kingston University in London. He went on to complete his PhD in piano performance at the University of Southampton in 2014 where he studied under the renowned English pianist David Owen Norris.
As a performing artist Abdullah has given concerts both in his home country of Kuwait, as well as performing internationally in Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Tokyo and London. Also, a keen and active musicologist, Abdullah participated in many international musicology conferences. His paper in the International Conference on Music Criticism (1950-2000) was subsequently published in a book of the same title.
As a researcher, Abdullah’s particular interest is the piano music of nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Abdullah’s writings also focus on the relationship between the historical, political and philosophical context of music. He believes that it is necessary to adopt a truly multi/interdisciplinary approach to research in order to fully understand and appreciate a composer’s work. His PhD thesis provides an example of belief, providing as it does an in-depth critique of the work of the English composer Alan Rawsthorne.
Abdullah’s musical compositions primarily follow humanitarian themes, with his work often being inspired by examples of human tragedy and suffering. He believes that music provides a powerful platform from which to spread awareness and compassion throughout the world. His compositions have been performed to critical acclaim. Dr Abdullah Khalaf works as an Associate Professor of Music at the College of Basic Education. Kuwait.