The New York Arabic Orchestra and award-winning musician and composer Layth Sidiq
The Abu Dhabi Festival and the Middle East Institute’s Arts and Culture Center are proud to present the Washington, DC premier of the New York Arabic Orchestra in collaboration with The Barns at Wolf Trap, under the artistic direction of award-winning and Grammy-nominated violinist, composer, and educator Layth Sidiq.
The NYAO
The NYAO, founded in 2007, transformed Arabic music education in New York City and has had an impact on thousands of students and concert-goers around the world. In its 15-year existence, the NYAO has swept the world with powerful performances and workshops, from Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Damrosch Park, and Detroit Orchestra Hall, to Festival Músicas Do Mundo in Portugal and Taipei Silk Road Music Conference in Taiwan. Through concerts and classes, the NYAO has seen countless Americans and nationals from the around the world transform their lives in pursuit of Arabic music; thousands of Arab-American adults inspired to revive the music of their upbringing, and youth, both Arab-American and international, become forever changed by the experience of Arabic music.
Layth Saidiq
Layth Sidiq is a Grammy Award-nominated violinist, composer, and educator, and the current artistic director of the New York Arabic Orchestra. He has toured the world and shared the stage with major artists such as Simon Shaheen, Danilo Pérez, and Jack DeJohnette, as well as performing at prestigious events and venues, like the London Jazz Festival, Boston Symphony Hall, WOMEX Expo, Panama Jazz Festival, and many more. He is featured on multiple award-winning albums, and his first record, ‘Son of Tigris’, premiered at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2016.
In 2018, Layth won second place at the Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition as the first Arab to ever participate. He was also recently awarded ‘Best International Artist’ at the 2020 Boston Music Awards. He directs the Center for Arabic Culture’s Youth Orchestra Program in Boston and was a faculty member at Carnegie Hall’s ‘Music Educators Workshop’. Layth is the lead vocalist and violinist for the new Assassin’s Creed game ‘Mirage’, which will be released in 2023.
