Clarissa Bitar is a Palestinian oud musician and composer born, raised, and based in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Music and an emphasis in Ethnomusicology. As a student, Clarissa won multiple awards for excellence in performance in Ethnomusicology and had the privilege of playing around California with the UC Santa Barbara Middle East Ensemble. To further her studies, Clarissa sought out and learned from prominent Arab oudists including Simon Shaheen, Charbel Rouhana, and Bassam Saba.
She has incorporated oud with a multitued of genres ranging from R&B to Pop to Hip Hop and Rap. Her latest album titled 'Hassan Sabi' is out now on all streaming platforms.
Her music has been featured on radio. She released a joint poetry-oud EP with Palestinian poet Mohammed el-Kurd in January of 2019 titled Bellydancing on Wounds as well as a her solo EP Bayati.
Clarissa has a passion for teaching and sharing knowledge on Arab music, as well as performing and hopes to continue to carve our spaces for oud share this tradition with others.
supported by 5 fans who also own “Yeehaw Dabke - Clarissa Bitar”
Absolutely incredible music. It should be blasted through every speaker across the world in resistance to their attempts to silence Palestinian freedom. vales3000
A pandemic project from members of Spirit of the Beehive, draag me make a woozy tangle of pop, industrial, r&b, and electronic music. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 6, 2023