Salim Dada - Biography

Biography

Born in the Algerian Sahara, he was a painter from an early age.

Salim Dada learned to play classical guitar and the oud, contrabass, mondole, kwitra and percussions. He also studied harmony, Western and Eastern musical theory, and presented several works for guitar solo and small ensembles. Between 2002 and 2005 he prepared a cycle of musical writing (harmony, counterpoint and analysis) in school of distance learning polyphonies with the composer Jean-Luc Kuczynski in France, and the Institut National Supérieur de la Musique in Algiers in the class of the academician Golnara Bouyagoub. In this period, he obtained his Doctorate from the Faculty of Medicine of Algiers. Between 2008 and 2010, a bursary from the Italian Government allowed him to study conducting with Guido Guido Maria at the State Conservatory “Giuseppe Verdi” in Turin. In 2010, he was in Paris, to do research in musicology at the The Sorbonne.

His nomination in 2007 as a Composer in Residence with the National Symphony Orchestra Algerian allowed him to create seven compositions and conduct 30 concerts in two years. The music catalogue of Salim Dada spans twenty symphonic works, a dozen scores for strings and chamber music and numerous pages for solo musicians (guitar, piano, harpsichord, saxophone, violin, etc.). He also has composed for voice and instruments of traditional Arab music and for film and theatre.

Composer Member of SACEM, his compositions were awarded in competitions and presented at events: 57th “Bayreuth Festival Junger Künstler” in 2007, festival of the “Euro-Mediterranean Youth Orchestra” in Damascus in 2008, 7th Arab composers festival “Arab Perspectives” in Cairo, Settembre Musica “MITO 2009” at Milano, “PAN 6” in Amsterdam. In 2010: Terrassa48's tour in Catalonia « Enmig de terra; la Mediterrània », 3rd International festival of Cultural Diversity at UNESCO-Paris, 4th Perinaldo Festival and Festival “Est Ovest” in Italy. In 2011, “Hommage à la Méditerranée" by Divertimento at the Cité de la Musique and festival “Label Sorbonne” in Paris. In 2012, “Ice Breacker VI” in Seattle and the opening of the 2012-2013 concert season at the Cité de la musique of Paris for celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the independence of Algeria

His works have been played b orchestras and ensembles: Orchestre Symphonique National Algérien, Arab Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, Euro-Mediterranean Youth Orchestra, Cairo Symphony Orchestra, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique Divertimento, Orquestra Terrassa48 de Cataluña, Calefax Reed Quintet of the Netherlands, Seattle Chamber Players, Ensemble Conductus] di Merano, Xenia Ensemble and the Fiarì Ensemble from Torino, plus the Orchestra del Perinaldo Festival, Orchestra Internacional “Pequeñas Huellas” di Niños para la Paze, and Conservatorio di Torino.

For musical seasons 2011-2015, Salim Dada was composer in residence with the Orchestre Symphonique Divertimento in the Paris region.

Considered by the press as a bridge between the West and the East, the music of Salim Dada was often referred to as message of peace and dialogue between the Arab-Muslim world and Europe.