Aliya Ultan

Aliya Ultan is a cellist and composer based in Brooklyn, NY. She combines Western notation with ancient symbology when composing for ensembles, and collaborates with avant-garde jazz musicians.

Aliya Ultan is a composer-improviser from the road, now based in New York. Raised in motion, she turned to music as a survival instinct, and never stopped moving. Her cello becomes a voice of its own: orchestral and grungy, seductive and unhinged — a medium of myth, memory, and pure sensation. Working with avant-garde jazz artists including Dr. Tyshawn Sorey opened her eyes and ears to graphic notation, text scores, and charts. When composing for large ensembles, she has become interested in combining the language of Western notation with ancient symbology to guide and set-free those involved. As an artist she considers it her responsibility to encourage self expression at every juncture—curating shows, sessions, teaching, and collaborating with people from all walks of life.