ALEX WAKIM: SOUNDS OF CLAIRE Comes to 54 Below
The performance is on December 3, 2025.
54 Below will present Alex Wakim in “Alex Wakim: Sounds of Claire” on December 3, 2025. Composer Alex Wakim will present a live version of Sounds of Claire to 54 Below! Released by the label Bright Shiny Things, this album is a surreal dive into his grandmother’s levantine childhood. Sounds of Claire mixes theater, jazz, tango, and Arabic music to teleport us through musical magic back in time: The Orient Palace Hotel, a theatrical tango that time-travels to the 1951 Swiss Embassy in Damascus; Je Suis Seul ce Soir, a middle-eastern arrangement of my Claire’s favorite song; the title song “Claire,” a cinematic metamorphosis. The story-telling that these blends afford makes Sounds of Claire‘s live performance a show not to miss.
Featuring Lama El Homassi, Brooklyn Maqam, Jeffrey Charles Palmer, and Alex Wakim.
MORE ABOUT ALEX WAKIM
With work showcased at SXSW, Tribeca, and CIFF, composer and interdisciplinary artist Alex Wakim continues to push the boundaries of sound and story. He’s the 2025 recipient of Opera America’s IDEA Grant for his opera, The B!tchelorette, libretto by Gregory Van Acker. His new album, Sounds of Claire—a tribute to his grandmother’s Levantine childhood—was recently released by Bright Shiny Things. He also co-authored Dust and Ions with Yara Zgheib, a music-based book juxtaposing the Beirut port explosion and the NEOWISE comet, forthcoming from Rose Metal Press. His recent premiere with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra reflects his expanding presence across mediums.
Blending traditional Arabic instruments—like the ney—with electronic textures, Wakim creates immersive sonic worlds. This kind of experimentation has led to syncs on Netflix (Somebody Feed Phil) and the Reel Change Grant.
Wakim’s music scores everything from scenes with Julianne Moore to civic campaigns with the Kansas Health Foundation and Greater Wichita Partnership, and has been featured at Raindance, Woodstock, Doc NYC, Off-Broadway’s Alvin Ailey Theater, and the National Portrait Gallery.
Based in NYC, Wakim thrives on collaboration. He also loves stargazing, history, and subtly heartbreaking stories - seeing his music as an astrolabe to understand the world. He is developing An American in Beirut, a dark musical-comedy co-written with Mona Mansour about the power of laughter in a violent and mercurial world, as well as The B!tchelorette, an opera about mental health and family.
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