Samir Joubran

Master oud player and a member of an illustrious musical family (his father is renowned for the ouds he makes), Samir Joubran is first and foremost a musician. But circumstances have certainly thrust politics upon him: during one European tour, he left his wife and child behind in Ramallah, which forced him to follow events there carefully. Close as he is to tragedy and despair, Jouban's music -- often performed in tandem with fellow oud player and brother Wassam Joubran -- always rises above strife and into beauty.