philadelphia.nyc.
cairo.beirut
berlin …
These are the places that shape Lety’s compositions, woodwind playing, and writing.
She was born and raised by immigrants near Philadelphia where she studied Jazz and Classical music. After moving to New York, curiosity about Latin and Arab styles drove her toward international collaborations. Inspired by traditional traditional genres and modern sounds, she composes and breathes a new globally influenced style through saxophones, clarinet, flute and nay.
She founded Out Of Nations alongside producer and engineer Khalil Chahine, where she composes, arranges, and performs reeds.
She is also fortunate to have performed and recorded as a sideman in:
nyc with MAKU Soundystem, Bella Gaia, the New York Arabic Orchestra, and the Alwan Arab Music Ensemble.
beirut with Ziad Rahbani, Tania Saleh, and Jad Nasr
cairo & alexandria with Fathy Salama, Ghalia Benali, Ahmed Nazmi, Maktoub, Hazem Shaheen, Abdallah Abozekry, Ahmed Omran, Furat Qaddouri
berlin.UAE.istanbul.bogotá with Yukazu, Ilham Madfai, Lena Chamamyan, MAKU Soundsystem…
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Studies:
BA (2008-2011) Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African studies at Columbia University
Fulbright Fellowship (2012-2013) Nay Performance in Classical and Folkloric Music Contexts
MA (2015-2018) Global History at Freie and Humboldt Universities in Berlin
Dissertation: The United Nations‘ Declaration of Human Right to Nationality: Development and Implications
general research interests: nationalism, human rights, mobility, migration, europe/mideast & their intersections, arts/entertainment/media & their production