Rabih Abou-Khalil (, born August 17, 1957 in Lebanon) is an oud player and composer. Life Rabih Abouh-Khalil grew up in Beirut and moved to Munich, Germany during the civil war in 1978. He lives partly in Munich and partly in the South of France. Rabih Abou-Khalil has two children, Nayla and Nadim Abou-Khalil. Music From early on, he learnt to play the oud, a fretless string instrument, similar to the European lute. He studied in the Beirut conservatory from oud virtuoso Georges Farah. After moving to Germany, he studied classical flute at the Academy of Music in Munich under Walther Theurer. He has often blended traditional Arab music with jazz, rock and classical music, and has earned praise such as "a world musician years before the phrase became a label ? makes the hot, staccato Middle Eastern flavour and the seamless grooves of jazz mingle as if they were always meant to."