Ahmed Al Abaca
Biographical Information
Introduction:
Ahmed Al Abaca is an African-American composer with an ever-growing career. If you have seen the shows Empire or Giants you have already heard some of their music. Al Abaca grew up in a low-income situation where it was difficult to afford music lessons early in life. But today they are a composer with a long list of collaborations with major symphonies and other arts organizations. They are also a Guest Conductor for the DC Strings, the Associate Conductor of the Southeast Symphony, and the Artistic Director of the New Alchemists. These roles highlight Al Abaca’s goals of empowering diverse communities through the arts, and making classical music more accessible. One of their most important goals is to create spaces for composers of color to perform and archive their works. Al Abaca said, “I make a point to shine a light on specific topics that I feel strongly about. Being a product of a music program for innercity children, I know that through music and the arts, anything is possible. As I grow as an artist, I wish to continue that line of inspiring those who are living in dark places.”
Early Life:
Ahmed Al Abaca was raised in San Bernardino, California in a family that was not very musical. Al Abaca’s father was rumored to have played the guitar, but this was irrelevant to the young Al Abaca, who was raised by their grandmother. Their grandmother was raising most of her grandchildren on a tight budget. Because of this, Al Abaca had to figure out how to play the piano on their own when they started at the age of 6. They composed melodies and learned tunes by ear, but importantly saw this as a source of escape and comfort. Eventually their grandmother gave Al Abaca a “How to Play the Piano” VHS tape on Christmas in 1994. They would master everything on this tape in about a week, and finally started taking their first real piano lessons. But it would not last. The family car broke down after only 3 months of lessons. Their family could no longer afford to pay for these lessons. Al Abaca continued progressing with what they had learned so far, but thankfully another opportunity would come along. Al Abaca signed up for a program that taught inner-city kids how to play an instrument for free. They would end up giving their first public piano performance at a recital for this program.
When Al Abaca entered Junior High School, they found that they were great at soloing and learning by ear. But they struggled with sight reading. The jazz band teacher had to demonstrate everything that the band played, but once Al Abaca heard it they could immediately play it. They started listening to Duke Ellington, Elton John, MoTown, and Little Richard. Al Abaca would learn their music by ear, and experiment with it. When they finally made it to high school, Al Abaca asked the band teacher, “What should I do if I want to become a composer?” Her response was, “Learn as many instruments as possible.” Al Abaca would take new instruments home from school and would eventually start playing the violin, and other percussion instruments. To Al Abaca, high school was a refuge, and they learned a lot. Al Abaca came out of the closet and came to terms with their sexual orientation. They also decided that they wanted to have a career as a professional musician.
Career:
Ahmed Al Abaca went to college at Cal-State Bernardino, where they learned their first piano piece by Bach. Bach’s Invention #8 became a great love for Al Abaca. They also started taking composition classes, and it was the first time that they seriously studied Romantic, Classical music. Al Abaca reflected their newfound interest in Romantic music in their own compositions. The composition professor tried to push Al Abaca to go past tonal music, but the tonal style felt more personally authentic. They would eventually leave Cal-State Bernadino, and transfer to Hunter University in New York, where they would attain their Bachelors Degree.
Al Abaca composed the music for 3 plays and a new musical while they were in New York. Excitingly, one of these plays won Best of Festival at the 2012 Thespis Theatre Festival. They eventually moved to Los Angeles where their career really started to take off. Al Abaca started composing music for tv shows, and short films. They won an Indie Series Award nomination for their music in Giants. And they also composed music for shows and films like I Too Am America, and Empire. However, Al Abaca also gained a reputation as a composer in the concert hall. Many organizations like the Colour of Music Festival, the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, and the Voiced Project in Chicago have asked Al Abaca to compose new works.
Resources:
Ahmed Al Abaca’s Website:
https://www.ahmedAl Abaca.com/bio
Navona Records Article:
https://www.navonarecords.com/artists/ahmed-Al Abaca/
Your Classical Resource/Rhapsody in Black Podcast:
https://www.yourclassical.org/episode/2023/02/09/rhapsody-in-black-ahmed-Al Abaca
