A Brief History of the Teacher…

When Mousa was one year old, his father left the family and came to America leaving Mousa in the care of his grandfather and mother. Mousa’s grandfather was named Khalel and was beloved by Mousa. His grandfather was caretaker for the Church of the Ascention and had many connections in the city of Jerusalem.

Growing up with very little money, Mousa wanted to contribute to the family by earning his own money. He would go into the streets of Jerusalem and sing and play the flute for people who were passing by. He was only seven years old at the time.

His first musical experience

At eight years of age, Mousa acquired the instrument he would later master in life. He was given an oud and started to teach himself how to play. At the time, he was quickly becoming proficient in the violin, the piano, the flute, and the oud. His lack of formal music education at this point in his life was offset by his daily practice in the crowded streets of the ancient city. He quickly learned how to perform for people, but more importantly, he gained a proficiency to play almost any instrument and song by ear.

When Mousa was eleven years old, seeing potential in Mousa his grandfather introduced him to many famous oudists who would pass through their town. He gained formal education from one of these oudists. Additionly, he taught Mousa how to read notes and perfect his musical techniques for the oud and violin. Mousa played for anyone who would listen, playing together with his older brother Issa at his side.

Coming to America

At the age of twenty, Mousa immigrated to the United States. He worked at a steel company in Buffalo to pay the bills while he became more and more proficient at playing many instruments—especially the oud. He obtained a bachlor’s degree in Music in New York where he learned how to play classical guitar and violin. He went on to master the Kanoon, vocal music, and the some of the finer details of Arabic entertaining–including music for belly dancing!

Three years later, Mousa traveled back to the middle east for the last time and met his wife, Deeana Maria Aoun. He went to Egypt prior to returning to the United States to meet his idol Farid Al-Atrash. In Egypt, Farid Al-Atrash gave Mousa instruction. They corresponded for years later.

Soon Mousa was back in the United States, and was inspired to start his own band with his brother and others. Mousa began writing and playing his own songs.

Music in the family

As his children grew older, he taught them each to play an instrument. Charles played the violin, Edward played the drum, or tubla, and Rodney played the keyboard.

As the children became better and better, Mousa and his 3 sons started their band, with Mousa leading the way singing and playing the oud. The group played all over the continent in many locations and at many events. The Omron family band was in demand to play, and Mousa Omron became known wherever he went as a great performer.

At one point, Mousa was commissioned to compose the soundtrack for an American film about Egypt.

In 1974, Mousa started his own night club to encourage Middle Eastern music to flourish outside of the Middle East. It was frequented by many celebrities such as Danny Thomas.

In 1989, he produced an instructional video to help his students learn on their own. He also wrote an Oud Lesson book to complement the videos. He also wrote scores to all of the Arabic songs that he played by ear. Mousa continued to play music until his death in 2000.