"Haunting yet quietly rigorous… Often there seems to be more breath than voice in these wordless poems, though other times Ms. Chaker draws full-bellied sounds, or sketches out silvery arpeggios.”
- The New York Times
Born in Paris but raised in Lebanon from the age of 6, composer and violinist Layale Chaker was raised speaking multiple languages, both linguistically and musically. Her complex sound universe, described by NPR as “beguiling” with “bright and beautiful strands… gorgeous, wine-dark swirls,” lies at the intersection of classical contemporary music, jazz, Arabic music, and improvisation. A 2020-2022 Jerome Hill Fellow, Chaker is also recipient of the 2022 Opera America Discovery 2022 Award, among many other accolades.
To open Chaker’s 2023-2024 season, the New York Philharmonic presents the world premiere of her double concerto, "Dawning", alongside Kinan Azmeh, for clarinet, violin and orchestra Dawning, co-commissioned with Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival and Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra.
'Inner Rhyme' - Layale Chaker & Sarafand
