Biography

Shariful Islam is a Bangladeshi violinist, composer, and orchestra conductor whose work bridges classical craft, Bengal’s expressive traditions, and contemporary musical thought. Over a career spanning more than thirteen years, he has performed, composed, and directed music across the country’s leading ensembles—including the Bangladesh Army Orchestra, Bangladesh Navy Symphony Orchestra, and Dhaka Symphony Orchestra—while also collaborating with bands, theatre companies, filmmakers, and interdisciplinary artists.

His musical identity sits at the intersection of orchestral discipline and free, exploratory sound. Trained in both notation-based and ear-based methods, Shariful blends Western classical techniques with the melodic nuance of Bengali and South Asian sound worlds. His practice frequently expands beyond the stage, incorporating field recordings, urban soundscapes, improvisation, and sound-art research as a way to interpret the world through listening.

Shariful currently leads Dhaka Philharmonic – The New Sound of Bengal, a chamber-orchestra initiative he founded to build a modern orchestral ecosystem in Bangladesh. The project aims to combine local folk traditions with global orchestral thinking while training a new generation of disciplined, sensitive musicians. He is developing this ensemble under a Section-28 non-profit model, along with a hybrid structure to balance artistic and cultural sustainability.

As an educator, Shariful has taught violin, music theory, and ensemble training across schools, youth programs, and private studios. His teaching blends the Suzuki Method, Kodály, Sevčík, and contemporary ear-training with Bengali folk melodies—an approach he is formalizing into a Bangla Violin Method for young learners. He works extensively with learners of diverse backgrounds, including neurodiverse and differently-abled students, emphasizing patient, structured learning that builds confidence and curiosity.

https://sharifulislam1.bandcamp.com/track/jaat-galo

Beyond performance and education, Shariful is actively involved in writing, cultural research, and aesthetic theory. His ongoing works examine musical identity, post-colonial influence, cultural hegemony, and the sonic self—drawing from thinkers such as Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Fanon, Gramsci, and Lalon. He regularly develops academic articles, project proposals, and cross-cultural collaborations with institutions across Asia, Europe, and North America.

Shariful’s compositions move between orchestral textures, Bengali lyricism, jazz-influenced harmony, and experimental sound design. Recent projects include works for string orchestra, chamber ensembles, spoken-word collaborations, and music for film, theatre, and digital media. His YouTube channel, @SharifulIslam21, hosts violin performances, original compositions, and educational tutorials that connect with young musicians across Bangladesh.

Whether performing on stage, designing educational tools, composing new works, or shaping Dhaka’s emerging orchestral culture, Shariful’s work is rooted in one belief: music can help us listen—to ourselves, to our history, and to each other.