Team
Nizar Fares
Director, Choir Conductor, Vocal Coach, Middle Eastern Music Theory Teacher, Lecturer
Multi-talented Artist, endowed with a beautiful voice, his “heavenly gift”, has been brought up in a Lebanese family known for its artistic taste and spirituality.
Attracted to art, music, and hymns, he sang and became known on the academic stage, as well as the “Holy Stage”, he has embarked on his cultural and spiritual mission as a professional after he won a gold medal from “Studio El Fan”, the only known talent show in the Arab world back in 1996. He drew his interpretations from the repertoires of the greatest Arab and classical composers. Admiring classical popular singing, he performed -as of March 2017- more than two thousand concerts and recitals in the five continents.
Holder of a Master degree in Agronomic Engineering, he pursued his musical studies at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) where he got another two Masters degrees in Middle Eastern Singing and Musicology, until achieving his PhD in Musicology in 2012.
Teacher of music and musicology, former director of many music schools, after moving to the US, Nizar was assigned the musical direction of “ASTAZA” the Middle East Ensemble at Boston College in January 2016. He’s also managing his own music school DooZhen Music Academy in Newton, MA. Conductor of many academic and church Choirs as well, added to his exceptional charisma, creative capacity, and vocal versatility, Nizar continues to engage hearts and minds in his cultural and spiritual singing journey.
“...You cannot hear our son Nizar without being engaged with what he’s singing...” said once Wadih El Safi, one of the most prominent Arab Singers, who also composed several songs for Nizar, the latest “ ’Ashraqal Lāhu ” is to be released in spring 2018.
Maya El Asmar
Music Educator, Trumpeter and Trumpet Teacher, Soprano, and Kid’s Choir director
Holder of a Master’s degree in Music Education, Maya has spent hundreds of hours teaching music to Kids, Teenagers and Adults, within various disciplines of music, in both, individual and in classroom settings.
Self-driven artist, she started many marching band initiatives, as she played in many others. Some of them were circumstantial during holiday festivities (Christmas, Easter, Seasons Festivals), while others were ongoing projects for Arts’ Centers and Festivals.
As a trumpeter, she teaches passionately the instrument she always loved.
A genuine character who pours herself for the sake of edifying and building others, especially young talents; Maya is a great asset to DooZhen Music Academy!
Aowss Yaldiko
Singer and Oud Teacher
Being a misplace young Iraqi talent didn't stop Aowss from pursuing his career as a virtuoso 'Ud player as well as a dedicated teacher. After being discovered as a talent at a very young age, and being awarded several times by the Ministry of Culture in Baghdad, Aowss started his musical studies in 2004 in his country, majoring in 'Ud, minoring in Piano, but had to flee the country to Syria, where he resumed his music education, until his second misplacement to his new home country Canada!
He continued relentlessly to master his instrument, while playing with the Canadian Arabic Orchestra, he played with the most known 'Ud virtuoso; such as Naseer Shamma and Charbel Rouhana, among others.
Well versed in his ethnic background, Aowss is knowledgeable in Sacred music (Assyrian, Syrian, Chaldean Music), as he's initiated in the Iraqi Maqam, Levantine repertoires and other Middle Eastern music styles.
DooZhen Music Academy works diligently to ensure great musicians with distinguished hearts to teach and pass one the torch; Aowss is one of them!
Christine Najarian
(Violin and Viola)
Christine has been playing the violin for 20 years. She graduated from the the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. Throughout the years, Christine has performed at Boston Symphony Hall, Harvard Sander’s Theatre, and New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall with the Massachusetts’s All-State Orchestra, NEC’s Philharmonic Orchestra, and Boston’s Youth Symphony Orchestra. Throughout her time in college, she performed with the Fenway Orchestra as well as performing as a soloist or a duo at weddings and corporate functions.
Christine holds a Masters in Teaching from Emmanuel College and is currently completing her Doctorate in Education at Northeastern University. Christine has been giving both private violin and viola and has many students throughout the years.
Combining her teaching degree to her musical ones, Christine is great pedagogic tutor to any student!
Maria Balouh
Overseas Sponsoring Program for Talented Misplaced Children, Base: Beirut- Lebanon. Piano and Music Theory
Maria holds a bachelor degree in Musicology and a Piano teaching degree from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Lebanon (USEK).
Having a wide range of musical teaching experience at School of Arts Ghassan Yammine (15 years), Collège des Saints Coeurs- Bauchrieh (14 years), Lebanese State School of Beirut- Verdun (7 years) among other establishments; Maria has the right experience to take any musically talented kid under her wings, assess and teach him, encourage and build future artists!
DooZhen Music Academy is delighted to have her on faculty since day one...
Philip Farouq
Overseas Sponsoring Program for Talented Misplaced Children, Base: Kerşehir- Turkey. Guitar and Music Theory
Wael Sharafeddine
Overseas Sponsoring Program for Talented Misplaced Children, Base: Metn- Lebanon. Guitar and Music Theory
Wael is a Lebanese guitarist, composer and instructor graduated from the
A talented teacher with a great approach! Wael is on faculty since 2017.