Farid Allahwerdi -- Profile

Picture taken at the King

Faisal II Hall

on March 6, 1953

Baghdad Philharmonic Society

From left:

Vartan Manoogian-violin, Sandu Albu-violin, Julian Hertz- piano, Farid Allawerdi-viola and André Thoerè- Chello

Farid Allahwerdi (b. 1923 in Basra, Iraq- d. February 2, 07 in Bublin, Ireland)

A composer of modern music and a member of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM). In 1948 he graduated from Law College of University of Baghdad. He studied composition in Paris, Moscow and New York. In 1950, Allahwerdi earned a diploma in violin and piano from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad. He then completed a Master's degree in Music Composition from The Hunter College in NY. His compositions include "Al-Mansooriyya" symphonic poem, which aired on Moscow radio in 1958, and 'Fantasy' for solo violin, and have been performed by many notable performers including Quatuor Margand, the Yasuda Ken-Ishiro String Quartet, the Moscow Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra, Najmi Succari, Vartan Manoogian and Igor Chernyavsky.

Allahwerdi taught musical eduaction, theory and instruments, mainly viola and violin, at Baghdad's Fine Arts Institute (for 25 years) and at The Academy of Fine Arts of Baghdad University (for five years). For over a decade, Farid also taught at the Yarmouk University in Irbid, Jordan. He has received many prizes including the Prix D'Honneur de L'Ecole Nationale de Musique de Saint-Brieuc in 1952. In 1995 he was awarded Honorary Certificate from the Arab League of Music for contribution and promotion of Arabic Music

Allahwerdi lived in Dublin, Ireland, for four years until his death.

The Petros Family in Pictures

Bassim H. Petros - Profile

Bassim H. Petros (1934 - )

Born in Baghdad in 1934. He Joined the Fine Arts Institute in Baghdad in 1947 to study Cello under the Sherrif Muhi-ddeen Haydar (Turkish), Hagob Kouyoumidjian (Iraqi) and Adres Taurrer (French). He Joined the Baghdad Philharmonic (INSO later on) in 1948 as a Cellist. Established and presented with Munther J. Hafeth the-first-of-its-kind Baghdad TV weekly program (The World of Music). Bassim is a member of the Iraqi National Music Committee (INMC), the International Music Council (Unesco), the Arab Academy of Music (of the Arab States League) and the Iraqi Artists Union. For five years, he worked at the National Music Conservatory in Amman as Cello and Contrabass teacher and as a member of its orchestra and band. Currently lives in New Zealand.

Bassim's and the family's photos http://insonewsletter.blogspot.com/2007/04/petros-family-in-pictures.html

Dr. Sabah H. Petros - Profile

Dr. Sabah Hanna Petros (1932 - )


Born in Baghdad 1932. He was a member teaching staff in Radiology and Ultrasound for the 6th year medical students & radiology diploma doctors at Baghdad University (Medical City) from 1972 to 1990. He has written in national and international journals (in most of the Arabic countries, England, France, Belgium, United States , India & Japan) numerous articles (almost all original) on X-Ray and Ultrasound.

Also a graduate of the Fine Arts Institute (1945-1952 part time study) specializing in clarinet. Sabah's clarinet teachers were Mr.Hanna Petros (Father), Mr. Munir Allahwerdi and others. He is a former member in the National Iraqi Symphony Orchestra (INSO) as a clarinet player.

Sabah's and the family's photos http://insonewsletter.blogspot.com/2007/04/petros-family-in-pictures.html