In 2011, Mahmoud Abuwarda<\/a> was grocery shopping for his mom when he came across an item that would change his life forever: a guitar. It was a toy guitar for a child, but it didn\u2019t matter. Mahmoud, who was 21 at the time, was committed to learning the instrument, even though he didn\u2019t know of any guitar teachers where he lived in Gaza. That purchase set him on a path to becoming a classical guitarist, a music teacher, and now a composer whose pieces are premiering<\/a> around the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI always thought about composition,\u201d says Mahmoud. \u201cI wanted to write music. I always asked myself how composers compose such music. Eastern music, normally it\u2019s monophonic. But I was curious about harmony, counterpoint, how to write for orchestra, for bands, how to write jazz music.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n