Chicago's "Rubab" Virtuoso


Habib Wardak plays the Rubab; click image to view photo galleryA young Afghan immigrant marries an ancient musical instrument with very modern technology to make music, and hopefully contribute to his home country. We revisit Jay Shefsky's story.

Habib Wardak is a student at DePaul University. He is a sociology major headed to law school. And he is the only person in town, and one of the few in the United States, who plays an ancient Afghan instrument called the Rubab.

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Now, he is taking his music into the digital age, by using a computer and keyboard to compose and arrange soundtrack music. Listen to two of Wardak's original digital compositions by clicking on the Audio Attachments below, and visit the photo gallery to see Wardak in action.

In the following video, listen to Wardak play the Rubab at age 8 with the Irfan Music College Orchestra. It was recorded in Peshawar, Pakistan in 1998.

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Audio Attachments: 
Journey
Raag Opus One