“… a voice that can bridge two worlds together and also serve as a mouthpiece for change…” - Simon Renter, WBGO
CURRENT PROJECT
VASILIS KOSTAS / LAYTH SIDIQ DUO
Laouto player Vasilis Kostas and violinist Layth Sidiq met many miles from their respective home countries in Boston. The former is Greek, the latter Jordanian-Iraqi and their duo aims to highlight the musical roots of their countries while using them as a basis for exploring new ways of improvising, writing and arranging. Without getting lost when borrowing elements from jazz and other contemporary styles, this inventive duo always seeks to capture the magic that emerges when following the thread of expanding the boundaries of musical traditions.
This duo had the opportunity to perform and present its compositions at the prestigious WOMEX Expo in Poland as well as the ADEM festival in Geneva, bringing a rich, exploratory and unique musical aesthetic to a new generation of audiences.
BIO.
Award-winning violinist and composer Layth Sidiq has a vision for the future: that he can expose western audiences to a profound musical tradition from one of the most culturally rich and historic parts of the world. A Jordanian with Iraqi roots and a son of musical parents, the sounds of Iraq hold a fundamental place in Sidiq’s own story and identity.
He has toured the world and shared the stage with major artists such as Simon Shaheen, Danilo Perez, Javier Limon and Jack Dejohnette, as well as performing in prestigious venues like the London Jazz Festival, Boston Symphony Hall, WOMEX Expo, Panama Jazz Festival and more. He is featured on multiple award-winning albums and his first record Son of Tigris was premiered at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2016.
In 2018, Layth won 2nd place at the Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition as the first Arab to ever participate, and he was also recently awarded 'Best International Artist' at the 2020 Boston Music Awards. He also 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 an in-demand violinist, composer and educator in the US and abroad.
TOURING CONFIGURATIONS
Duo
TOUR DATES.