Laith Alattar

Laith Alattar, Arab-American composer, vocalist, and oud player, performs an eclectic assortment of classical, folk, and contemporary Middle Eastern and World Fusion music, incorporating styles from the Middle East and North Africa with elements of classical, rock, jazz, and other Western and World musical traditions.

Baghdad-born Mr. Alattar grew up within a global music backdrop and as a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance’s Composition and Vocal Performance programs in Ann Arbor, developed his classical skills alongside music Professors Michael Daugherty, James Aikman, Kristy Kuster, and Eric Santos. And as a long-time apprentice of the Middle East’s most acclaimed master musicians, including Karim Bader, Rima Khcheich, and Simon Shaheen, Mr. Alattar further evolved his unique sound and style as an organic blend of traditional and new music, echoing both the simplicity and nostalgia of folk music and the bold rudiments and audacity of classical music. Also inspired by the teachings of Nadia Boulanger, Mr. Alattar is unapologetic about learning music by the rules but making music outside them—freely and creatively.

Leaning on his dual-career background in psychology, cognitive science, and behavioral economics, Mr. Alattar is proactive in fostering cross-cultural musical collaborations and presenting music that brings people and communities together—from co-founding the Arab-Flamenco Fusion Music and Dance Ensemble at the University of Michigan to presenting innovative ensembles of Middle Eastern music and world percussion including a groundbreaking collaboration with Miriam Gerberg’s Ensemble Mezze and the Sumunar Indonesian Gamelan ensemble in Minneapolis, and joining luminary music producer Dawn Elder and a new generation of artists in performing as the world-rock band TEAL-ONE97 at the One World Concert in New York featuring the Dalai Lama and many of the world’s top music stars. Mr. Alattar also performs extensively with embassies in Washington DC to bridge musical traditions from and for different communities, including special collaborations with the embassies and cultural centers of Oman, Iraq, Qatar, and Greece, as well as Sephardic Heritage International—SHIN DC. Even when performing strictly Middle Eastern music, Mr. Alattar presents an inclusive program covering the entire region and all the different communities within it, whether it be music from the different countries of the Arab world (e.g., Iraqi, Egyptian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Moroccan, etc.), communities within those countries (e.g., Arab, Kurdish, Assyrian, Jewish, Armenian, Bedouin, farmers, pearl divers, etc.), or music from neighboring regions and genres (e.g., Greek, Turkish, Persian, Flamenco, and Sephardic music), all in a proactive effort to build bridges among the different communities through shared music and related cultural traditions.

As a film composer, Mr. Alattar composed and recorded a number of film scores, with credits including Refusing to be Enemies: The Zeitouna Story (Laurie White, 2007) [RTBE Website; Vimeo], Our Arab American Story (Keith Famie, 2007), All Alone (Gaurav Sikka, 2005), Driving an Arab Street (Arthur Hurely, 2003), and An Army Tale (Lisa Kwong, 2003), as well as one musical—The Sun Rises from There (Abed Senad). More recently, Mr. Alattar has also composed and recorded oud soundtracks for the Palestine Podcast Academy (2021) podcast series, an initiative of Latitude Adjustment Podcast and the Amsterdam-based nonprofit, Open Roads Media.

Aside from music, Mr. Alattar leads a parallel career as a social, behavioral, and decision-making psychologist.

To bridge the two disciplines, Mr. Alattar is currently studying the direction and level of influence between song lyrics and cultural norms and is leaning on his psychology and behavioral science training on a major initiative to review some of the traditionally common themes in the Arab song repertoire to replace them with new, more socially-responsible lyrics that can contribute to a healthier society and culture by elevating the prospect of agency and hope among young audiences while also encouraging values of productivity, inclusivity, and equality. Mr. Alattar premiered the first pilot song within this initiative at the World Expo Dubai last year and is working on adapting additional songs in 2023. Mr. Alattar is available for a variety of bookings from traditional oud performances and vocal recitals to educational seminars and workshops, as well as collaborative projects in music and film, and consulting related to the intersection of music, arts, culture, and policy.