Omar Haddad

Omar Haddad is a Guitarist, Violinist, Singer-songwriter, Bandleader, and Actor who has appeared in film, television series, commercials, radio stations, and online newspapers. His influences include jazz, rock, pop, Latin, and classical music, and they come together in the songs he writes for THUS, the rock band, which has been performing in since 2010. Omar is also a solo guitarist playing both instrumental jazz arrangements with three-part improvisation (bass, chord, and melody) and classical music on electric guitar. Omar began his career in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he appeared on Telefe's series "Los Roldan" (First Season, 2004) and Maria Victoria Menis's movie "The Camera Obscura" (premiered in 2008). In 2007 he established himself in New York City and later relocated to the Hamptons, NY. In 2012 Omar graduated Summa Cum Laude at The City College of New York with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in music, for which he received a Full Scholarship from the Kaye Foundation among other honors, and since then, he has been active in the music business, gaining involvement as a multi-instrumentalist performer and as a manager. He recently completed a music executive position as an A & R with Mi5 Recordings, a record label under Universal Music Group, with former guitarist for Modern English Ted Mason as president. He recorded strings for Elizabeth McGovern, performed for Amma, the Hugging Saint, and he regularly tours with The Glory Gospel Singers under the direction of Ms. Phyliss McKoy Joubert, with whom he performs Anime-Gospel fusion yearly at the Polymanga Festival in Montreau, Switzerland. Omar has contributed live performances for The Drifters, The Platters, Ben Vereen, and Kenny James in the US, and in Argentina he was a violinist for stars Dany Martin (2002), Pimpinela Duo (2003), Guillermo Guido (2003 tour, Seduceme). In February of 2014, Omar was interviewed by Lamon Fenner for "Lamon's Jazz Break at 8" on WHCR 90.3 FM, "The Voice of Harlem," where Lamon described Omar as "a very fine solo guitarist," pointing at his "really excellent talent" and "impressive sound." Omar's debut CD was Ceremony, a jazz-fusion duo with pianist Diego Ruiz, recorded in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and released in NYC in 2009. The album was reviewed by Alejandro Do Carmo as "an invitation to rejoice in sound and surrender to the flow of music" on "Film-Song," and Santiago Rodriguez Rey and Alejandro Do Carmo interviewed the duo on the Argentine radio show "Monkey's Island" in 2011. For one year Omar was the conductor of the Buenos Aires jazz big band Los Saxópatas, and he is a music teacher with experience in several of NYC's public and private schools. Having taught students in guitar since 1997, violin in 2003 with the International Suzuki Method, and jazz ensembles in 2003, he has crystallized his experience in "A Comprehensive Course for the Guitar Apprentice," his forthcoming book.