Meet Marwan Nassar | Musician, Curator, Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marwan Nassar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a professional musician, composer/arranger, producer, and curator. I play guitar in the bands of many talented artists I am grateful to know in a bunch of different styles ranging from funk to pop, RnB, Jazz, Hip Hop, blues, and rock. I am also an arranger and have arranged music for a variety of groups from string quartets to big bands, jazz combos, and pop arrangements. In addition, I absolutely LOVE hosting and curating events and spaces for people to express themselves creatively, and feel included in a community. During COVID, I hosted weekly music and art shows and jam sessions, called “Apiary”, that were incredibly healing for me and the community members that became a part of them. Every week, we had live music, an improvised jam session where everyone was welcome, artwork, 8-12 small-business vendors selling everything from accessories to clothes, food, etc. What mattered more than all the things Apiary had though, was the feeling it created, for me and everyone else. During those thursday nights, we all got to experience connection with people who used to be strangers, express ourselves, whether through music or live painting, and feel included and safe in a group. Since then I’ve hosted many other jam sessions, and look forward to curating more experiences in the future.
Another area in which I work is production. As a producer, it is my goal to help artists realize their visions and truly feel that their work is representative of who they are as people or the message they hope to convey. I am a spreadsheet freak and love keeping things organized and coordinating with different people for the needs of each project, so my favorite projects to work on are ones where I really get to help an artist bring their project together from all different angles. Things like hiring musicians, arranging music, booking studios, music directing rehearsals, organizing budgets and schedules, and everything else that falls within that is (one of) my happy place(s)!
Finally, I just love to help people. So if you have an idea that you want some guidance on, I am more than happy to help bring that idea to life, or to refer one of my amazingly talented peers to do that! I believe knowledge is meant to be shared, and strive to live by that daily. I know I would not be anywhere close to where I am today if it wasn’t for the selfless sharing of knowledge that my mentors and peers embody.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Funny enough, my best friend is visiting this weekend. If it was about a week long, I’d say this: Camp at one of the Channel Islands. They’re actually super accessible and inexpensive so look them up! We’d definitely eat at Vee’s Cafe and Mizlala, my favorite spots to stop by. We would hike at the Will Rogers state park, which is gorgeous and massive. Maybe go down to the Southern beaches around Hermosa or Dockweiler. The water is so much clearer. I’d say that pretty much sums it up.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Mom I know things have been difficult lately, but remember that my success is all yours too. I love you.
Sister
I am beyond proud of you for all you’ve already accomplished and you always impress me with how much responsibility you are able to handle even though you’re my younger sister. I love you.
Brother
I can’t wait to continue seeing the bright, kind, and super cool person you are growing up to be, and I will always be there with you. I love you

Website: Coming soon

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marwan.music/

Image Credits
Ash Shaniah Lia Schifitto Jack Higgins