Nailah Nombeko, a native of New York, comes from a musical family. She attended the Preparatory Division of Manhattan School of Music, LaGuardia High School (Music and Art) and she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Mannes College of Music with additional studies in orchestration at The Juilliard School. Her compositions were performed by many top performers such as: Blair McMillan, Curtis Macomber, Keve Wilson, Tiffany DuMouchelle, Shannon Roberts, Quartet for a New Generation, Anthony Green and the Orfeo Duo among others.
Ms Nombeko’s music has been performed at Symphony Space, Columbia University, St Peter’s Church, Queens College, Lewis University as well as other venues. Her songs were featured on Classical Discoveries 103.3 FM, Radio Arts Indonesia, What’s Next Radio 91.1 FM, Hildegard to Hildegard, Kath Fraser's "Gathering Her Notes" and Radio Monalisa in the Netherlands. Ms Nombeko's sound art was featured in the Museruole festival in Italy.
In 2015 Ms. Nombeko was commissioned by the Orfeo Duo to compose a score to the ballet "The Little Pink Rose." This was a long-term project in collaboration with choreographer/dance teacher Maria Espona at the Lourdes Cultural Center. This collaboration culminated in a performance at St. Peter's Church Citicorp in Manhattan. The Orfeo Duo also commissioned Ms. Nombeko to compose a new work for baritone and piano which was premiered in March 2016. In early 2017 she collaborated with dancer/choreographer Evita Zacharioglou. This collaboration was part of a larger project between the JCC Manhattan and NYU where composer/choreographer pairs created works inspired by Jewish texts. This resulted in a performance at the JCC Manhattan in February 2017. Ms. Nombeko's most recent work entitled " A Prophecy Against Babylon" was composed for soprano and piano. This was commissioned by "What A Neighborhood" and premiered at St. Mary's Church on November 11th with Lisa Daehlin, soprano and Ishmael Wallace, pianist.
Nailah Nombeko is a member of the New York Women Composers, Vox Novus, African American Art Song Alliance, and the National Association of Composers USA. She is also a Board member of "What A Neighborhood" founded by the Orfeo Duo.