Today we’d like to introduce you to Layth Sidiq.
Layth, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Born in Iraq and raised in Amman/Jordan, I was brought up in a musical family. My father – a pianist, and the current director of the National Music Conservatory in Jordan – and my mother, a violinist made sure that music was a part of my life since childhood. I enrolled in the Conservatory at the age of 4 studying Classical violin with Timur Ibrahimov until the age of 16 when I traveled to Manchester UK to pursue a high school diploma in violin performance at the prestigious Chetham’s School of Music. During my years as a little boy, my parents would always invite the greatest of Arab artists to come to our house for dinner parties and performances, this was an important time for my musical appreciation and taste to grow and it introduced me to the world of Arabic Classical Music, which is the music that I later found out would dictate my professional career.
Upon graduating from Chetham’s School of Music in 2010, I was accepted into Berklee College of Music in Boston with a full-tuition scholarship. This was big transition for me as I was changing my course from a classical violinist and going to a school that specializes in contemporary music, Jazz and other styles. However, one semester into my studies in Boston I realized that Berklee is the right place to be. Fast-forward 8 years since then, I have now obtained a Bachelor degree in Violin performance and a Master’s degree from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, where I got to study and work with artists such as Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, Terri Lyne Carrington, Joe Lovano and more.
During my career so far, I have been blessed to perform alongside some of the best musicians today, artists like Simon Shaheen in his award-winning Qantara ensemble, multi Latin-Grammy winning producer Javier Limon in our project OQ, and with other artists like Alejandro Sanz, Jack Dejohnette, Tigran Hamasyan, A.R Rahman and Gary Burton just to name a few. I have also been featured on multiple Latin-Grammy nominated albums with Jose Merce and with Javier Limon. I have also been featured as a soloist on world stages such as the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival, the WOMEX Festival, The Abu Dhabi Music Festival and on a Japan tour with Boston based, award-winning a-cappella group Women of the World.
Currently I’m living in Boston where I direct the Tufts University Arab Music Ensemble and the Center for Arabic Culture’s Children Orchestra Program. I’m also a member of the newly formed group ‘Global Messengers’ under the direction of Grammy-winning pianist Danilo Perez, which will bring together folkloric musical elements under the umbrella of Jazz improvisation. I’m involved in educational and musical projects in the US and abroad, projects like the Kalesma initiative which is a project by Vasilis Kostas that recently established a music program for orphaned kids in Athens, as well as the More Music More Love project, which is another project that brings music and music education to underprivileged societies around the world.
On July 28th, 2018, I was selected as one of the winners at the Zbigniew Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition in Poland as the first Arab to ever win a prize. This was a pivotal moment in my musical career, not only because it was the first competition I ever participate in, but for the fact that I was given the stage to present my culture and my musical identity on an international stage to an audience that has never experienced it before. After the final gala, I was approached by a gentleman who told me: ‘After hearing you play tonight, I want to learn more about your country and your culture’. This to me was a clear message that I am on the right path and it inspires me everyday to continue doing what I’m doing.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
As a musician I see myself as an ambassador of culture. When I create or perform, I’m representing something larger than myself. The values of music that I believe in are strongly rooted in education and in seeing music as a tool to break barriers, to shatter stereotypes and to change society to the better. Every chance that I get to educate with my instrument, I take it.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
Success is a never-ending quest, and I aim for it with everything I do. I believe that doing honest work, being kind and treating others with the same respect I expect to be treated are already big steps towards the mountain of success we all aim for. Success can happen daily, whether in finishing a composition or even washing the dishes, and to me personally, small steps of success are much more valuable than one big achievement.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My album ‘Son of Tigris’ is available online on Bandcamp, Spotify and Apple Music. You can either purchase the album or stream it. Another way to support my work is to follow me on Instagram @laythsidiq and come out to performances and learn about the music and the culture of the Arab world. I perform regularly around the states and the world, I would love to meet you at one of those events.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.laythsidiq@gmail.com
- Email: laythsidiq@gmail.com
- Instagram: @layhsidiq
Image Credit:
Top left: Seifert Competition
Top right: Tara Chopra
Artwork by Kevork Mourad
Bottom right: Nathalie Botbol
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