Zaid Jabri, born in 1975 in Damascus, is a distinguished Syrian-Polish composer, conductor, and music educator known for his work at the intersection of Western and Middle Eastern musical traditions. His early musical education began with violin studies under Riyad Sukar in Damascus. At 19, Jabri moved to Poland to study at the Academy of Music in Kraków, where he earned his master's degree with honors under Zbigniew Bujarski and completed his doctorate under the guidance of Krzysztof Penderecki.

Jabri's compositions reflect his deep understanding of the shared harmonic and instrumental strategies between Eastern and Western music. He gained international recognition after winning the Adam Didur Composers' Competition in 1997 for his "Two Songs for Soprano and String Orchestra." His ambitious projects include the opera "Cities of Salt," based on novels by Abdulrahman Munif, with parts showcased at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Theater during the Shubbak Festival in 2015.

Jabri has held numerous academic positions, including Assistant Professor at the Kraków Academy of Music and lecturer roles at institutions such as Columbia University, Harvard University, and Istanbul Bilgi University. He has also been a resident composer at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a fellow at Columbia University's Institute for Ideas and Imagination.

His works have been performed globally, with notable performances at prestigious venues and festivals such as New York's Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Warsaw Autumn Festival. Jabri has been involved in various residencies and fellowships, including the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and the Rockefeller Foundation/Bellagio Centre.

In 2022, Jabri's chamber opera "Southern Crossings," featuring a libretto by Yvette Christiansë and Rosalind Morris, premiered in New York City, further cementing his reputation as an innovative composer bridging diverse musical worlds.