Naseem Alatrash
Boston - Massachusetts - United States

Naseem Alatrash is a GRAMMY-nominated cellist, composer, and educator whose artistry bridges Arabic musical heritage with contemporary classical and jazz traditions. Praised by the Chicago Tribune for his “particularly lustrous tone,” Alatrash is celebrated for a sound that transcends genre and geography. 

An internationally touring soloist, Alatrash performs his original works and collaborates with leading artists across diverse musical traditions. Since 2021, he has been the cellist for the GRAMMY Award–winning Turtle Island Quartet, performing alongside GRAMMY-winning and Oscar-nominated composer Terence Blanchard. A former member of Danilo Pérez’s Global Messengers, Alatrash was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2023 for Best Latin Jazz Album as a core performer on Pérez’s album Crisálida. He also tours globally with Simon Shaheen’s Ensemble, continuing to champion cross-cultural dialogue through music.

His performances have graced such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall, Concertgebouw, and the Royal Opera House of Oman. Alatrash has appeared on many of the world’s festivals, including the Newport, Monterey, Detroit, and Panama Jazz Festivals, as well as the Abu Dhabi Music Festival and Lebanon’s Beit Al Deen and Zouk Mikael Festivals. 

Throughout his career, Alatrash has performed with an impressive roster of renowned artists, including Terence Blanchard, Roger Waters, Terri Lyne Carrington, Christian McBride, Steve Vai, Danilo Pérez, Simon Shaheen, and Amir Elsaffar, among many others.

As an educator, Alatrash is deeply committed to fostering cultural exchange through music. He serves as Assistant Professor of Cello and Ensembles at the Berklee College of Music, Director of the Arab Music Ensemble at Tufts University, and Director of the Global Folk Traditions Ensemble at the Longy School of Music. He also leads workshops and masterclasses worldwide, emphasizing improvisation and intercultural performance.

In recognition of his artistic excellence, Alatrash was nominated in 2024 for Jazz Artist of the Year with IZE TRIO at the Boston Music Awards. He is a recipient of the 2021 Mass Cultural Council Composition Fellowship. He has received support from the Boston Foundation’s Live Arts Boston program and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC). Twice named String Player of the Year at the National Music Competition of Palestine, Alatrash holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Post-Master’s degrees from the Berklee College of Music.