Mustafa Said

Mustafa Said is an Egyptian oud player, singer, composer, musicologist, and music teacher. Born and raised in Cairo, Said was introduced to music as a child and learned to read and write music in Braille at an early age.

Later, he studied at the Arabic Oud House in Cairo, and learned Western music in correspondence with the Haldey School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. He received a degree in linguistics and English literature from Ain Shams University and two M.A. degrees in musicology from the High Institute of Music of Antonine University in Lebanon.

A prolific performer, Said has recorded several albums and participated in international music festivals as a soloist and a member of the Asil Ensemble for Contemporary Classical Arabic Music, which he founded in 2003. As a researcher, he has published academic articles and given lectures on a range of topics in Middle Eastern art music and Arabic music, and has collected more than 500 early Egyptian and Arab songs. He served as Artistic and Archives Manager of the Arab Music Archiving and Research Foundation in Lebanon from 2008-2010, and has been its director since 2010.

In addition to over a decade of experience as a teacher of oud, singing, and the art of maqām, Said has taught workshops and given guest lectures at numerous academic and artistic institutions in Egypt, the Middle East, Europe, and Japan. As a composer, he has written several musical compositions for the Asil Ensemble, theater plays, dance performances and films.