Issa Boulos holds a bachelor’s degree in music composition from Columbia College and a master’s degree from Roosevelt University. He is the Harper College Community Music and Arts Center program coordinator, Chicago World Music Ensemble director and Issa Boulos Ensemble founder. Boulos composes for internationally-acclaimed orchestras, chamber groups, and ensembles including the Chicago Symphony, Qatar Philharmonic, Youth Symphony of Bremen, Athens Symphony, Palestine National Orchestra and Silk Road Ensemble. Many documentaries feature his original scores, including the award-winning “Nice Bombs” and PBS’s “The New Americans.”  He performs and lectures at institutions and universities around the world. As researcher, Boulos fosters understanding about world music. He received awards from the Illinois Arts Council, the A. J. Racy Fellowship for Studies in Ethnomusicology, and the Norwegian Fund for newly composed works. He was previously a lecturer at the University of Chicago and the Head of Music at the Qatar Music Academy.