Born in New York in 1948, Waleed Howrani was reared in Beirut where he studied piano, theory and harmony privately while engaging in trials of his first Opuses.
At thirteen, he came to the attention of Aram Khatchaturian, who arranged for him to receive scholarships to study piano at Moscow's Central Music School and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (1964–1973).
After settling in the United States in 1973, Howrani pursued his lifelong interest in creating music by studying composition with William Albright.
In 2008 his Concerto for Alto Saxophone, Strings and Percussion received its world premiere in London by the English Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Clark Rundell, with Simon Haram as soloist.
His technical command, close attention to minute details, and lucid interpretive powers are buoyed by a poetic sensitivity that is at once refined and free spirited.