Ghadeer Abaido
Hastings Fellow 2024
Ghadeer Abaido is a Palestinian-Jordanian pianist with extensive experience in the music world. From performing classical music as a soloist to collaborating with chamber music groups and orchestras in the Middle East, Europe and the United States. She received her Bachelors degree from the National Music Conservatory in Jordan. While living in Jordan, she performed the Tchaikovsky piano concerto under the baton of Mohammed Uthman Siddiq, and Liszt’s second piano concerto in collaboration with the conductor
Jose Arean. Ghadeer was also actively involved with the humanitarian aid organization War Child, where she was dedicated to working with refugees in different parts of Jordan.
Ghadeer worked briefly in Dubai as a film-score composer; her music won two Lynx awards and was featured in the Dubai International Film Festival. She moved to the United States in 2017, and completed her masters in the University of South Florida under the guidance of Dr. Svetozar Ivanov. While studying at USF, she won the concerto competition and went on to perform Liszt’s Totentanz with the USFSO. She was also awarded first place in the USF piano competition for her performance of the Liszt piano sonata and Beethoven’s Op. 109. Ghadeer also participated in the Osaka International Piano competition, where she won first place in the U.S. regionals, and went on to Japan for the finals.
Ghadeer most recently won the Iowa Performance Fellowship award from the University of Iowa, where she completed the requirements for her Doctorate in Piano performance under the guidance of Dr. Rene Lecuona.
Ghadeer has taken part in music festivals regionally and around the world; some festivals she performed in are the Cincinnati Young Artists Chamber Music Festival, the Harvard Chamber Music Festival, the Savonlinna Chamber Music Festival in Finland, the International Brancaleoni Music Festival in Italy, and the International Prague Piano Festival. She has performed in masterclasses for and studied with world famous pianists such as Ralf Gothoni, Valentina Lisitsa, Antonio Pompa-Baldi and Richard Goode.
Ghadeer enjoys performing chamber music and arranging orchestral works for marimba and piano with her duo partner William Brown. The Abaido-Brown Duo first met at the University of South Florida, debuting with an electrifying performance of Danse Macabre. The two players have since developed an astounding repertoire, joining forces in bringing new life to beloved classics in both recording and performance.
Ghadeer currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of South Florida, and as instructor at the Tampa Bay Music Academy.