Ali Osman (composer)
Ali Osman Alhaj (; born 1958 in Omdurman, Sudan - died February 16, 2017, in Cairo) was a Sudanese composer of contemporary classical music. He was active in Egypt's contemporary music scene and a specialist in Sudanese music. He also played the guitar, drum kit, and double bass. As artistic director and principal conductor, he worked with the Al Nour Wal Amal (Light and Hope) Orchestra for blind female musicians. Biography and career Growing up in Sudan, Ali Osman was a self-taught rock musician playing drums and guitar. Feeling he had reached a point where he could not progress by himself, he planned to move to Canada, but in 1978 he settled in Cairo, where he was supposed to get his Canadian visa. He studied with Gamal Abdel-Rahim, Bertold Hummel and Robert Woshborn at the Cairo Conservatoire (1978–1986), and learned the double bass with Rodney Slatford. He wrote a thesis on traditional Sudanese and Arabic music. He obtained a Bachelor of Music in composition and music theory, and a Master of Music. He then pursued postgraduate studies in analysis, counterpoint and music history with Awatef Abdel Karim (1986–1990). He taught music at the Cairo Conservatoire from 1990, and at the