“…Shaul Bustan’s music blends European symphonic richness with Middle Eastern flair, punctuated by cinematic touches. His Oud playing, ranging from gentle melodies to rhythmic bursts, beautifully embodies his message of cultural fusion.” nmz — neue musikzeitung

Composer, conductor and oud player Shaul Bustan was born in 1983 in a small kibbutz in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Growing up between his mother’s Persian heritage and his father’s Eastern European background, he was shaped early on by two distinct cultural worlds. This dual influence became the foundation of both his musical language and his artistic curiosity, allowing him to move naturally between cultures, genres, and traditions.

Today, Shaul is based in northern Germany, living close to water and forest. The surrounding landscape has quietly entered his music, shaping its atmosphere and sense of time.

“Seagulls circle above a soundscape woven from the waves of the fjord. A ship approaches. It hums, pushes itself into the field of sound (…) We hear how a place breathes.” kulturkanal.sh

After earning his Master’s degree in Composition from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in 2009, Shaul began composing actively for orchestras, ensembles, and interdisciplinary projects. His work often unfolds as a dialogue between carefully shaped form and open improvisation, creating music that feels both grounded and alive. His compositions have been performed by ensembles and orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra, the EOS Chamber Orchestra Cologne, the German Chamber Orchestra Berlin, the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, the Jewish Chamber Orchestra Hamburg, the Meitar Ensemble in Israel, the Tiroler Ensemble für Neue Musik, and the Tapiola Choir in Finland. He has also written for soloists including Avi Avital and Giora Feidman, and has worked with the conductors Bar Avni and Susanne Blumenthal.

One of his main concerns in recent years has been to bring non-European music and culture onto the classical stage, and the oud (a Middle Eastern short-necked lute) is how he does it. Not as a contrast or provocation, but as a bridge. This idea also shapes his work as a performer. With his trio, he tours widely across Germany and has appeared at renowned venues including the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival and Radialsystem Berlin.

A key milestone in this journey was the 2023 premiere of his orchestral work Winter, where Shaul appeared as oud soloist with the German Chamber Orchestra Berlin in the Great Hall of the Berliner Philharmonie—bringing his cross-cultural sound into one of Europe’s most iconic concert halls.

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