about
Zahrah Hutton is a guitarist, composer, and artist from London, based in Birmingham.
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Zahrah studied classical guitar at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, graduating with first-class honours in 2023. In her second year she was awarded the Guitar Prize. In August 2022, she was supported by the Edward James Foundation to perform at West Dean Guitar Festival.
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From August 2024 to January 2025, Zahrah is one of two Artists in Residence at Stirchley Printworks. In both her compositional and visual practices, Zahrah’s work explores repetition and balance within structures, often drawing on patterns found in nature or telegraphy and codes. She takes inspiration from artists including Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Henri Matisse, and Paul Klee in her consideration of the arrangement of forms, and the relationship between music and visual art. She has performed her work at Flatpack Film Festival, RBC CODA Festival, and Centrala.
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As a classical guitarist, Zahrah is a member of the Mela Guitar Quartet, with whom she has performed at Church Stretton Arts Festival, Kew Gardens Nash Sessions, and the Jago, Dalston with through the noise. The quartet has recently recorded an album with contemporary classical label TRPTK (released 2025) and will be touring America as winners of the Guitar Foundation of America ensemble prize in Spring 2025. Together with recorder player Beth Toulson, she placed in the top twelve of the Sören Sieg Music Competition 2021, winning the opportunity to premiere five new works for guitar duo. As an electric guitarist, Zahrah has performed with the Listening Project, Tell It to the Music, and Queens of Disruption for Flatpack Film Festival. Zahrah is also trained in the Kodály Method, holding Level 8 Kodály Musicianship. ​​
photo by Evie Redfern