Rahim AlHaj, born in 1968 in Baghdad, is an Iraqi-American musician, actor, and oud player, who began mastering the instrument at age nine and performed his first solo concert at 14. After graduating from the Baghdad Conservatory in 1990, he released The Second Baghdad (2002) and Iraqi Music in a Time of War (2003) on VoxLox, followed by the CD Friendship (2005) with the Oud & Sadaqa Quartet. His album When the Soul is Settled: Music of Iraq (2006) earned a 2008 Grammy nomination, and the 2010 release Ancient Sounds received another Grammy nomination. In 2009, he founded the Little Earth Orchestra, producing the 2010 double‑CD Little Earth with collaborations from Bill Frisell, Peter Buck, and others musicians. He toured globally and composed for symphonies, film scores, and collaborative projects.
