Ali Osman

Ali Osman (; 1958 in Omdurman, Sudan – 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. In 2000, he traveled to Switzerland, where Swiss Radio recorded his first full CD. Ali Osman earned his PhD in 2009, and he died on February 16, 2017, in Cairo.

Distinctions 1995: Third Prize in the competition Abu Bakr Khairat of the Ministry of Culture in Cairo for the Song for Chamber Orchestra 2000: Scholarship from the organisation Pro Helvetia

Books Egyptian Contemporary Music (series), with Samha El-Kholy, ed. Ministry of Culture, Cairo, 2000–2003