Music as Community: Sound as Sanctuary

Music as Community: Sound as Sanctuary

Abstract

This Culminating Experience is comprised of two main components: a five track original mixtape – including two original arrangements, two collaborative compositions, and one original composition – and a collection of collaborative works. Coming from a Western Classical background, the core of this project revolved around reconnecting with my Lebanese heritage through music, and utilizing collaboration in pursuit of the exploration and development of my artistic development. Through a series of peer-commissioned string orchestrations/arrangements, collaborative song-writing, live performances, and over thirty-nine studio recordings as a studio musician, my skills were sharpened and the scope of my artistic identity became more defined. Coupled with intensive exploration of musical expansions and techniques, these experiences paved the way for an expansion of my personal works, and resulted in the completion of four original arrangements, the creation of my first original composition, Nahda, and the curation of my first original mixtape, أرز الربّ (Arz Al-Rab), comprised of five studio recordings: two original arrangements of traditional Lebanese folk music, two collaborative electro-acoustic compositions, and my first original composition. In an effort to to invigorate my musical identity with the flavors of Lebanese music, ultimately to bring Lebanese music to the Lebanese diaspora and beyond, my thorough research, analysis, exploration, and re-discovery enlightened a new professional trajectory: Lebafuturism – an examination of the past, present, and future sonic identities of Lebanon, with the goal of curating community and creating platforms for the future voices of Lebanese music.

Publication Date

7-1-2026

Campus

Valencia (Spain) Campus

Keywords

Lebafuturism; Arabic; Lebanese Folk Fusion; Artistic Development

Music as Community: Sound as Sanctuary

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