Donia Jarrar

She/They

Donia Jarrar is a first generation Egyptian-Palestinian-American composer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, improviser and producer known for their unique use of field recordings, working with oral histories and their relationship to the composition and shaping of new musical works across varying genres. They release music under the solo moniker Phonodelica, an experimental sound project which The Quietus recognized as “one of the more striking examples of artistic endeavour of this still young decade”.

Jarrar’s debut album HIDDEN ASSEMBLAGES was released in 2022 on Deathbomb Arc and Fat Beats Records. In 2021, Jarrar was nominated for and named Palestine’s Young Artist of the Year for their large-scale interdisciplinary project, album and sound installation Into the Ether and Out of Our Anguish/عبر الأثير, which had its opening at the AM Qattan Foundation in Ramallah in March 2022.

Jarrar’s documentary opera Seamstress was awarded a Discovery Grant for composers of opera from the National Opera Center of America, and tells the story of four women, including her students and artists from her community in Palestine, through lush chamber orchestrations, electronics, film and dance. Jarrar is currently working on recording her latest album, BUTCHER, which premiered in June 2022 as a culmination of her artist residency at the Arab American National Museum, where she featured and collaborated with local artist survivors of DV and intimate partner violence and other North African feminist figures like Mona El-Tahawy.

Jarrar holds a doctorate and masters degrees in music composition from the University of Michigan -Ann Arbor.

As an educator Jarrar encourages and advocates for student autonomy, self-expression, and the embrace of cultural narrative and identity. They believe music is a powerful tool for healing and collective empowerment.