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The music of Ruben Zahra often portrays fragments from a collision of various musical cultures. His interest in classical, rock, jazz and world music has led him to develop a style which absorbs these influences within the music tapestry of his contemporary works. Besides his work as a composer within the classical / contemporary arena, Ruben Zahra is also very active in the Mediterranean folk music scene. In 1999 he set up a project to revive Malta’s traditional instruments and his Nafra ensemble has become the most important international exponent of Malta’s music heritage. Ruben Zahra has been invited to present concerts in major festivals all over Europe as well as in Egypt, Tunisia, USA, India and Hong Kong. He is president of the Malta Association for Contemporary Music and artistic director of the Malta Mediterranean Folk Music Festival. In 1994 Ruben Zahra graduated from the University of Malta in Music & Theatre Studies and was awarded a scholarship by the Italian Cultural Institute to further his studies in composition with Azio Corghi at the National Music Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome. He studied electronic music with Giorgio Nottoli and film music with Ennio Morricone. In 2000 he moved to the USA for a masters degree in composition at Mills College in Oakland, California. In 2002 he moved to Los Angeles and spent two years working for the Hollywood film industry. Since 2004 Ruben Zahra is based in Malta and works internationally as a freelance composer.