Artists & Workshops / Zirak Hamad

Art forms

Dance, Vocals, Specialist Instruments

Zirak Hamad is a violinist and teacher who came to England in 2002 from Iraqi Kurdistan and is now based in Birmingham. A graduate from the institute of Fine Arts in Iraq, he has a wide range of artistic experience in his home country where he worked as a primary school teacher, festival organiser, broadcaster, television presenter and music critic.

Zirak took part in the Birmingham-based Sound it Out community music training course in 2003, and has gone on to work as a freelance artist, mentor and trainer. Alongside running a Kurdish music group, Daholl Kurdish Ensemble, which has performed widely across the UK, Zirak has also initiated and musically directed a Kurdish multi-media production, The Smell of Apples which explored the genocide of Kurds in the city of Halabja.

Zirak's Workshops and Performances:

  • Middle Eastern music performances
  • Middle Eastern dance workshops
  • Middle Eastern music and dance

Zirak is an experienced musical practitioner and works in many settings including schools (primary and secondary), Immigration Removal Centres and various community settings. Zirak has performed at a variety of festivals and events.