Zade Dirani (Arabic: زيد ديراني, born in 1980), is a Jordanian American[2] pianist, composer, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa, of Damascene descent, whose genre blending songs are inspired by Latin, pop, and classical music.
[4] Zade has toured extensively throughout the U.S and has performed in Spain, France, England, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Lebanon,[5] Morocco, Kuwait,[6] and Egypt.
[20] Titled Roads to You: Celebration of One World, Zade led 40 musicians from 18 countries, in a project that showcased participants from war-torn regions coming together and working in an atmosphere of trust and team spirit.
[10] The Roads to You concert tour featured compositions from Zade's three recordings which include his CD, Beautiful World released May 2006, inspired by his Middle Eastern heritage.
[13] His second CD, Roads to You, was released in June 2004 in the United States featuring Arabic and Latin influences performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir.
One of the cuts from the CD, titled Kingdom of Peace, was featured at the 2006 Winter Olympics as the Japanese Female Figure Skating Team competed to this song.
That song, and the Roads to You CD is the collective effort of more than one hundred musicians from different parts of the world, and was recorded in Miami, Beirut, Prague, and Los Angeles.
His debut CD, self-titled Zade, was released in April 2003, and featured guest musicians from the Middle East and the United States including Charlie Bisharat on Violin, Chris Chaney on Bass Alanis Morissette, Jane's Addiction, Natalie Merchant, Fairouz, and Julia Boutros.
[citation needed] Zade works with both aspiring and world renowned musicians, to promote cultural understanding, and spread a message of peace and co-existence.
He was appointed UNICEF Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa in August 2016,[18] with a focus on advocating for children caught in violence, conflict and poverty.
[24] The programme helps Syrian refugee children cope with trauma and loss by making music, while also enhancing their skills to communicate and express themselves, and group cooperation.
The program was designed by child protection and music therapy experts in consultation with children and adults living in Syrian refugee camps in Jordan.