The Composer of Peace


QUEENS’ FIRST COMPOSER IN RESIDENCE USES THE SOFT POWER OF MUSIC TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER By: John Syme


alek Jandali was 18 when he landed in New York City for the first time. Te German-born Syrian-American remembers the rush of seeing the city’s lights from the


airplane window, from the taxi and from the sidewalks. He was mesmerized by the magic of New York, but when he had the chance to study there, he passed. “Mixing liberal arts with a music program: that’s the


trick,” Jandali told the Charlotte Observer in 2015. “If I had gone to Juilliard, I would’ve gotten a music education, but I would never have had weekly [model U.N.] meetings, where I discussed world views with other students and professors.” Tat’s what he found at Queens. After graduating magna cum laude in 1997 with a


degree in music, he went on to become a globally acclaimed pianist and composer and was named a Great Immigrant by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Tis fall he was announced as the inaugural Carolyn G. McMahon Composer in Residence at Queens. Jandali, who divides his time between Atlanta and


Manhattan, has held strong connections to Queens since his undergraduate days. He remains close with his teacher and mentor, the Carolyn G. McMahon Professor of Music, Paul


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