align=”center”>Munir Allahwerdi, Clarinet

Hagop Kouyoumdjian, cello

Foad Ridha As-Saden, viola

Dr. Sami Sheikh Qassem, violin

Wartan Manoukian, violin

Performing Mozart`s clarinet quintet in A-major KV.581

Munir Allahwerdi, residing in Vienna, Austria (as of 2007)

Contact information: Available from Wafaa’ Al-Natheema who is reachable at; Alwafanews@aol.com AND aboutfromiraq@yahoo.com

[Former INSO Musician] Born in Basra, Iraq in 1926. Joined the Fine Arts Institute in Baghdad in October 1942. Performed in many chamber music and orchestral concerts in Iraq as well as on radio and TV from 1945 and on mainly as solo clarinetist and sometimes as contrabassist. Created the first clarinet class and taught the instrument at the Fine Arts Institute. Graduated as civil engineer from the Engineering College and as clarinetist from the Fine Arts Institute in Baghdad 1948. Earned Master’s of Science degree from the State Univercity of Iowa. Worked as the head of the Arab States unit at the UN Financing System for Science and Technology for Development 1980-1985. In 1985, Munir retired in Vienna where he formed a group of chamber music players from various well-known orchestras and performed in Vienna and in Finland.