Middleton Community Orchestra

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Brian Ruppert

Middleton Community Orchestra at Hamel Music Center.

Middleton Community Orchestra at Hamel Music Center.

media release:  Ryan Tani, conductor; Layan Atieh, horn.

Holst: Jupiter, from The Planets, Op. 32 (1914-17)

Glière: Horn Concerto in B-flat major, Op. 91 (1951), featuring Layan Atieh

Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kijé Suite (1933-34)

Layan Atieh is a Palestinian/ Jordanian/ American horn player, and is the Core Horn of Seraph Brass, a world renowned all-women brass quintet. As an active freelancer, Layan has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Naples Philharmonic. She is passionate about chamber music and has performed at festivals around the world, including the Hidden Valley Festival of Winds in California, Domaine Forget in Canada, and the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa, as well as orchestra festivals such as the Music Academy of the West. In 2022, Layan completed her undergraduate studies at the Peabody Institute under the tutelage of Robert Rearden, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University. She earned her Master’s degree in 2024 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Richard King and Nathaniel Silberschlag, and performed regularly alongside her teachers in The Cleveland Orchestra.

Layan is passionate about community engagement and the intersection of politics and music, and is always finding ways to use music as a vehicle for connection across differences. Her work in Seraph Brass allows her to promote and highlight the artistry of marginalized identities, to bring performances and music education to underserved communities around the United States and across the world, and to open dialogue about the role of artists in society. While on tour with Seraph Brass, Layan has taught at esteemed universities such as Yale University and the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, and has performed as a featured artist at the Chamber Music America Conference in Houston, the Midwest International Band Clinic in Chicago, the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival in South Korea, the International Festival of Winds in Peru, and the Pro Musica Classical Chamber Series of San Miguel in Mexico. Layan is an alumni of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and served as the inaugural Arts Administration Fellow in the orchestra, allowing her to connect with the Chicago community on and off the stage. During her fellowship, she helped organize and perform in youth and educational concerts, as well as collaborative concerts with community partners, such as the Chicago Refugee Coalition. She also conceptualized and produced her own program, titled ‘Thread and Chord: A Dialogue Between Fashion and Music’ - an interdisciplinary performance exploring the relationship between artistic expression and cultural identity. 

Layan is passionate about music education, and serves on faculty at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, the Brass Institutes of America,  the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO). In both Cleveland and Chicago, Layan has taught in public schools, deepening her commitment to music education and outreach, and regularly teaches while on tour with Seraph Brass. In 2025, she was honored as a Guest Artist in Horn at the International Women’s Brass Conference, furthering her advocacy for representation and innovation in brass performance. Outside of music, Layan enjoys a variety of sports, including martial arts, rock climbing, and, most recently, pickleball.