Music: Arab Music Series features Syrian-born composer Kareem Roustom

KAREEM ROUSTOM is bilingual in Arabic and English - music, that is. The Syrian-born composer is fluent in Arabic and Western styles, which is no easy feat. The two use very different instruments. And Arabic music has quarter tones, which exist between the notes of the traditional Western 12-tone chromatic scale. With so many different types of sounds and rules to keep in mind, composing in both requires considerable musical dexterity.

Roustom, who moved to the United States when he was in 7th grade, started on the guitar. He grew up listening to a wide variety of Western artists and genres: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Pink Floyd and 20th-century classical music in the European tradition.

"I fell in love with music in my teens and I'm still in love with it," he said. He also explored the connections between jazz and Arabic music. "Both have strong traditions of improvisation, which is a type of on-the-spot composition. So I guess I've been composing for a long time."

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, a local nonprofit that promotes Arab arts, invited Roustom to participate here Saturday as part of its Arab Music Concert Series. In partnership with the classical music group the Alba Ensemble, Al-Bustan commissioned Roustom to write a new piece for the event.

Six musicians and a conductor will present Roustom's work, and the composer will play oud at times.

Roustom, who now lives in Providence, R.I., earned a master's degree in ethnomusicology from Tufts University. He ultimately channeled his love for music into movies, composing pieces for films such as "Me, Myself & Irene" and "Amreeka." Roustom's commission for Seeds of Culture makes use of Roustom's skill at pairing music and narrative work. "This work is based on an Arab folk tale that I chose from a collection of folk tales from Palestine and Lebanon called 'Abu Jmeel's Daughter,' " he said. It's scored for a chamber ensemble and narrator.