West Wight Arts Association

Mark Whitehouse

Born in Amman in 1988, Karim Said started playing the piano at the age of five, studying with composer and pianist Agnes Bashir. At eight he gave his first solo recital, and two years later, he played Mozart's Concerto in C major K467 with orchestra.

In September 2000 he enrolled with a scholarship at London's Purcell School of Music where he studied with Tessa Nicholson and later with Tatiana Sarkissova.

In 2007, Karim was awarded a full scholarship to continue his studies with Professor Sarkissova at London's Royal Academy of Music.

He has performed in over twenty countries across Europe, the Middle and Far East at such venues as Manchester's, Bridgewater Hall, London's Barbican Centre and Royal Albert Hall, The Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and Seoul's Jangcheon Art Hall.

In addition to his collaboration as soloist with the West Eastern Divan Orchestra and Daniel Barenboim, he has also performed with the English Chamber Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis.

He is the recipient of over fifteen prizes, scholarships and awards including last year's ''Enescu Prize'' awarded by the Enescu Society in London.