Kareem Roustom
*1971, Damaskus
Kareem Roustom was born in 1971 in Damascus, Syria. Though he is primarily a self-taught composer, Roustom’s mentors include John McDonald (Tufts University) and jazz pedagogue Charlie Banacos.
He completed an MA in Ethnomusicology at Tufts University and a PhD in Composition at City St George’s University of London. Roustom held the position of Professor of the Practice at Tufts University’s Department of Music in Boston from 2017 to 2025.
Roustom has received commissions from the Düsseldorf Symphoniker, the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Grand Teton Music Festival (2018 & 2023 seasons), the Grant Park Music Festival, the Daniel Barenboim Stiftung (2013, 2015 & 2017), the Pierre Boulez Saal, the Royal Philharmonic Society & Sadler’s Wells Theatre (U.K.), A Far Cry & Lorelei Ensemble, Chamber Music at Napa Valley and others.
He has been Composer-in-Residence at the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Grant Park Music Festival, the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen and elsewhere. Roustom’s music has also been recorded by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Philharmonia Orchestra London and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (May 2026). He also produced an album of his chamber music for the Phenotypic Recordings label, released on November 7, 2025.
Roustom’s awards include the Aaron Copland House Award, the Sundance Film Music Fellowship and an Emmy nomination. Roustom plays the oud (Arab lute) and has written arrangements for Shakira, Beyoncé and Tina Turner.