Shawn Qaissaunee guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, composer and teacher was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. Shawn, also known as “Q”, attended Berklee College of Music with a focus on Jazz Composition and Music education. He has released numerous recordings of his original music- Painting Pictures (2001), Tell A Story (2003), Passing Through (2005), Afghan Jazz Project (2007), Comfort Me (2012) and numerous single releases in 2013 and 2014. He’s currently working on a recording of his vocal compositions and arrangements. An accomplished bassist and guitarist, Shawn is in high demand as a performer. He also performs on two indigenous Afghan instruments, the 20-string rubab (roo-bob) and the dutar (doo-tar). Shawn was awarded a MidAtlantic Arts Foundation Artist Fellowship to VCCA (Virginia Center for the Creative Arts) in January of 2005 and most recently an artist residency at Caldera in Oregon in November 2005 and an Artist Fellowship at VCCA in 2006 and 2013. He recently performed at the Kent County Library as part of its Outreach Program and at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. In 2006 Shawn performed at the Strathmore Music Center in Rockville, Maryland opening for guitar prodigy Derek Trucks and recently performed at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. In October 2006 Shawn was a featured performer at the Rehoboth Jazz Festival and in November 2006 performed at the Bellevue Park’s “Music in the Mansion” series. In 2014 Shawn has continued to be in high demand as a bassist and guitarist and is busy writing and performing his original music and teaching private music lessons.