Honored Persons

Marwan Abado

Marwan Abado was born the son of a Christian-Palestinian family in a refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon. In 1985, Abado escapes from the civil war zone to Austria and continues his musical education with the Iraqi Oud master Asim Chalabi. In Vienna he finds a new home as a musician, singer, composer and poet. Abado's instrument, the oud (oriental short-necked lute), has a similar meaning in Arabic music as the piano in Western culture. His compositions are based on the classical form of representation of Arabic music, TAQ'SIM, which is subject to no temporal laws and based on the inner impulses of the musician. Sensitive lyrics (written by himself or by other contemporary Arab poets) put Abado's compositions in a poetic context. Marwan Abado is one of those musicians who proves that the music country Austria is rich in inspiration and encounters. Time and again, Abado seeks to bridge the gap between Orient and Occident and works with musicians from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and styles. In 2003 he worked with young Israeli and Palestinian musicians at the Festival of Young Artists in Bayreuth. His field of work includes film and theater music as well as conceptual activities in the field of culture, music workshops and lectures on Arabic music, as well as children's theater. His love for language and poetry is expressed in literary-musical readings, which he designed together with namesake poets, among others. In 2009, Marwan Abado published the cookbook "Time of the Figs" with Viola Raheb - The Arabic cuisine from Bethlehem to Damascus. In November 2008, Marwan Abado received the federal award for intercultural dialogue from the Ministry of Education, the Arts and Culture.