Haitham Haidar is a Lebanese-Palestinian Canadian tenor highly sought out for his “memorably warm tone… a gripping communicator and charismatic musician.” (Gramophone), and his “arresting warmth and lyricism” (Music Web International). He is a proud graduate of Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music, McGill’s Schulich School of Music, and the University of British Columbia and currently resides in Montreal, Quebec.
Haitham’s JUNO® nominated debut solo album Zaytoun is now available on all streaming platforms, praised as BBC Music’s Vocal Choice 2025 and as “exquisitely beautiful and inherently melancholic” by Gramophone. Zaytoun explores the beautiful intersectionality of Baroque and Arabic music, interlaced with poetry and musical improvisations. Haitham also appears on multiple Grammy® nominated albums, namely as a soloist on Conspirare’s House of Belonging.
Haitham has been seen as a soloist at the Morgenland Music Festival in Osnabrück, as the Evangelist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Seattle Bach Festival, as Matthew in Considering Matthew Shepard at ACDA Northwestern, and with groups like Conspirare and Seraphic Fire. He has also been seen as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Newfoundland Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Arion Baroque Orchestra, and Spire Vocal Ensemble. Recently, he has performed as the Evangelist in Bach’s St. John Passion with the Choir of A&P in Montreal and with the Cantata Collective in San Francisco under the baton of Nicholas McGegan. Recent engagements include the role of Shepherd in Early Music Vancouver’s l’Orfeo, artist in residence at Reed College in Portland, and showcases of Zaytoun in Montreal and Early Music Seattle. Coming up, Haitham will be performing the role of Evangelist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Seattle Bach Festival and will continue to present Zaytoun across North America as long as co-direct two programs one with Les Idees Heureuses with Dorothea Venture and one with Tiny Glass Tavern and Sophie Michaux.
Haitham is a proud of Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble, a group that unites music excellence and diversity while offering highly educational and practical experiences to students from middle school to graduate school. KVE launched the first inaugural Kaleidoscope Vocal Academy in 2025 and the group looks forward to this growing educational program.
Haitham’s approach to performance has always been humanity first. Being an Arab immigrant in North America comes with its unique set of oppressive challenges and it is because of that and what he sees around him in the field, that he aims to touch people’s hearts with music and compassion and make change in the world the best way he knows how.
