Australian singer-songwriter
MAHMOOD
KHAN
WITH ORCHESTRAS OF THE WORLD
A global recording project bringing Mahmood Khan’s catalogue of hit and No. 1 songs together with selected orchestras around the world.
Following his No. 1 Billboard Classical Crossover collaboration with the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra, Mahmood Khan is developing a new international series of orchestral recordings.
Proven repertoire
A handpicked collection of Mahmood Khan’s No. 1 and Top 10 songs will form the repertoire for Orchestras of the World.
These are original songs written by Mahmood Khan with a proven chart and audience history — now being reimagined through the individual sound, character and musical identity of each participating orchestra.
Championing the songwriter
In an era of generative AI, original songwriting matters more than ever.
The project celebrates the human songwriter — the individual voice, imagination, lived experience and craft behind a song.
By bringing proven original songs into new orchestral settings, it gives existing works a new life while creating a platform for new compositions, new collaborations and the continued evolution of songwriting as an art form.
The vision
One songwriter. A catalogue of proven songs. Distinctive orchestras around the world.
Each collaboration becomes its own chapter — not simply an orchestra accompanying an artist, but an orchestra leaving its own permanent musical signature on the repertoire.
Now developing international orchestral collaborations for 2026–27.
The experiment
Same songwriter. Same songs. Same harmony and form. Different orchestra. What emerges that was never written down?
Mahmood Khan with Orchestras of the World begins with a simple thesis:
The identity of an orchestra exists partly beyond notation. By holding the song, harmony and form constant while allowing controlled improvisational freedom, different orchestras may reveal distinct musical personalities, ensemble sensibilities and unanticipated subtleties within the same repertoire.
Mahmood’s songs are particularly suited to this exploration. Many are built as extended vamps: the harmonic foundation remains constant while movement is created through instruments entering, leaving, responding, building, thinning out and converging.
For this project, selected musicians and sections are given space to bring their own instincts into that architecture.
The song stays fixed. The orchestration becomes alive.
Mahmood Khan with Willoughby Symphony Orchestra
WATCH THE
ORCHESTRAL WORK
The journey behind the project
Orchestras of the World grows out of a career spent bringing original songs into different musical worlds. Over more than 15 years in Los Angeles recording studios, Mahmood Khan worked as a sound engineer and producer in American funk and hip-hop, while absorbing South American rhythms and developing an instinct for musical experimentation. Improvisation became a mainstay of his work—a way of listening, responding and creating that he lives and breathes.
From recording with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to performing with bands in Pakistan and Australia, and recording with the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra, Mahmood has explored how his songs can take on new character through collaboration. These performances trace the foundations of the next chapter.
The artist behind the project
How the journey took shape
The vocal
foundations
Mahmood Khan’s vocal journey began with training under Seth Riggs, before he came under the mentorship of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. During this remarkable chapter, Mahmood recorded and produced an album with Nusrat.
The album went on to sell more than six million copies worldwide, introducing Mahmood’s work to world music radio audiences across the United States and earning him Artist of the Month recognition on MTV Asia. It was a collaboration that crossed cultural boundaries and brought listeners together through music.
Live performance with
the Pakistani Band
This project was supported by Alliance Française in recognition of Mahmood’s groundbreaking work in Pakistan.
Launching World Pop
in Australia
With support from Channel 9, Mahmood Khan introduces a new genre in Australia: World Pop. Watch him perform Merry Go Round with the Lismore band.
Live performance on
Australia Channel 9
Live at
Sydney Opera House
Performing the No. 1 ARIA hit Like the River.
Mahmood Khan is the only Asian-born artist to have recorded a live album at the Sydney Opera House and achieved mainstream success in Australia. In recognition of this accomplishment, the Australian Government recognised him as a Distinguished Talent.
Live with
Willoughby Symphony Orchestra
Orchestras of the World carries this journey forward, inviting each participating orchestra to bring its own musical identity to Mahmood Khan’s original songs.
Explore the project ↑