With a career that began in childhood, American tenor Karim Sulayman became an international attraction in operatic and orchestral performances, often specializing in music of the Baroque. Unlike many other vocal performers, Sulayman is known for his activist stance as well as his music. Of Lebanese-American descent, Sulayman was born in Chicago in 1976. He began studying the violin at age three and sang as a boy alto with the Chicago Children's Choir. He attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester and was exposed to early music in classes with lutenist Paul O'Dette. He went to Paris for further studies with tenor and countertenor Howard Crook. Sulayman's education also included studies in improvisation at the training center operated by the Chicago comedy troupe Second City. In 2018, he released his debut solo album, Songs of Orpheus, a collection of Monteverdi arias made in collaboration with Apollo's Fire.