As a first generation American born Chaldean, my sense of culture was difficult to place within the context of my upbringing in the United States. As I advanced in my study of music in college, the desire of reaching toward my own musical heritage grew stronger, until I found my life mission: preserving Chaldean liturgical music.

The first steps of learning these ancient melodies was to attend liturgical prayer, beginning with the holy mass. The more I inquired about the melodies, the more I learned how little people knew about their origins (including choir directors and clergy). As I conducted academic research, it was evident that scholars also had little to say about it. Rather than deter me from the subject, the little information made the topic even more mysterious and important to hang onto. Through the course of a decade or so, I’ve worked with those who are knowledgeable in Chaldean liturgical music in order to record and transcribe melodies that could easily be lost within a generation or two, especially considering the Chaldean people are no longer residing in their homeland. This project is very dear to