Issa Boulos

Community Music Center Coordinator

iboulos@harpercollege.edu
847.925.6659
Building C, Room C216

Issa Boulos is an internationally award-winning composer, lyricist, researcher, and songwriter. His works have been performed by various groups and orchestras around the world. He studied piano, ‘ud, and voice at an early age. He later pursued music composition with Gustavo Leone, Athanasios Zervas, and William Russo at Columbia College Chicago and with Robert Lombardo and Ilya Levinson at Roosevelt University. He obtained his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from Leiden University.

Issa injects new life into his music throughout his career by incorporating traditional instruments in innovative ways. His compositions are commissioned and performed by nationally acclaimed orchestras and ensembles. He has composed music for full orchestra, chamber, mixed ensembles, and written hundreds of songs, including several hits. Among his commissions are four pieces for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, composition/performance for the Silk Road Ensemble, and original scores for award-winning documentaries, plays, feature films, and musicals. Through these efforts, Issa has gained recognition in the United States, the Middle East, and Europe. He has served as a lecturer at the University of Chicago for nearly a decade and co-founded the Qatar Music Academy and acted as its Head of Music since its inception in 2010. Boulos serves as Manager of the Harper College Community Music and Arts Center and adjunct faculty of music.

Sample a track demonstrating Boulos' masterful performance, and watch more here.