Usman Riaz

Artist, composer

TED Senior Fellow Usman Riaz is an artist and composer.

Why you should listen

Usman Riaz is the founder of Mano Animation Studios -- Pakistans first hand-drawn animation studio. Their first project, The Glassworker (شیشہ گر), was created by a team of creatives from Pakistan, Malaysia, Canada, South Africa, the US and the UK.

Usman Riaz’s TED Talks

Preston Reed, Usman Riaz
A young guitarist meets his hero
16 minutes 25 seconds
Usman Riaz is a 21-year-old whiz at the percussive guitar, a style he learned to play by watching his heroes on YouTube. The TED Fellow plays onstage at TEDGlobal 2012 -- followed by a jawdropping solo from the master of percussive guitar, Preston Reed. And watch these two guitarists take on a very spur-of-the-moment improv.
Posted Jul 2012
Amanda Palmer, Jherek Bischoff, Usman Riaz
"Space Oddity"
6 minutes
Singer Amanda Palmer pays tribute to the inimitable David Bowie with a cover of "Space Oddity." She's joined onstage by Jherek Bischoff, TED Fellow Usman Riaz and, no, your eyes are not deceiving you, none other than former Vice President Al Gore.
Posted Nov 2016

Usman Riaz

Why you should listen

Usman Riaz’s TED Talks

More news and ideas from Usman Riaz

Scenes from a pandemic: Firsthand stories of life in 23 countries, from the TED Fellows

Giant pouched rats, baby corals & the FBI: A recap of TEDFellows Session 2 at TED2015

Human rights heroes: A recap of session 11 of TEDGlobal 2014