Malek Jandali (born December 25, 1972, in Waldbröl, West Germany) is a Syrian-American composer and pianist. Jandali’s music integrated Middle-Eastern modes and Arabic maqams into Western classical structures. Raised in Homs, Jandali won the Syrian National Young Artists Competition in 1988. He studied at the Higher Institute of Music in Damascus and the North Carolina School of the Arts. Jandali performed as a soloist at venues including Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House. In 2009, he released the debut album Echoes from Ugarit. In response to the Syrian conflict, Jandali wrote the single “Watani Ana (I am my Homeland)” in 2011. He founded the nonprofit Pianos for Peace and an international youth piano competition. A cousin of Steve Jobs, Jandali received the 2014 Global Music Humanitarian Award and was named a Great Immigrant by the Carnegie Corporation. In 2024, The Washington Post recognized his work among the year’s best classical music.
