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Alumni News
IC NEWSLETTER -
SUMMER 2009
26
Jad Azkoul ’65
is a guitarist of world
renown.Heandhiswife,Clarissa,who
liveinGeneva,havetwosons:Julian,21,
(currentlystudyingMusicatCambridge
University)andMichael,19(whowillbe
attendingartschoolinEngland).Father
andson(Julian)gaveaconcerttogether
last March at the Mar Saba Church in
Kfarhay, aspart of theBustanFestival.
When were you first introduced to
the guitar?
I got a guitar for Christmas when I
was about 12, and took some lessons.
But when I came to IC (as a boarder
at age 14), I made friends with Zuheir
Al-Faqih, who was older and had
an electric guitar and with whom I
formed a small band at school. At
AUB, while studying for my Masters in
Psychology, I realized that something
powerful was pulling me towards
the guitar. The notion of becoming a
psychologist was losing its appeal.
Did your parents support your
switch in plans from a PhD in
psychology to music?
My father had been an ambassador and
was a philosopher (in fact the second
person in Lebanon to have received a
PhDinPhilosophy, thefirstbeingCharles
Malik). Without informing my parents, I
applied to the Berklee School of Music
(Boston, USA). Only after I got accepted
did I tell my father. He said: “I’ve noticed
that your interest in psychology has
decreased and your passion for music
has increased. If you are truly amusician,
it would be a sin not to help you but if
you don’t finish your masters it would
be crime.”Surprised, I asked himwhy he
had never mentioned this. And wisely
he said, “Son, it had to come from you.”
So I finished my masters and the next
day I was on the plane to Boston.
Did you ever go back to psychology?
No. After two years at the school
studying jazz music, I discovered
classical music, which I didn’t like
before. I then went to Paris to study
music for five years. Then to Uruguay
to study with a great Master, Abel
Carlevaro, torefinemyguitartechnique
and interpretation. Altogether, I was a
full time music student for ten years.
Which was your most memorable
concert?
In Beirut in January, 1980, where I
gave my first major concert. It was to
take place at AUB. But as we were in
the midst of our civil war, this meant
that those in East Beirut would not
be able to attend. So the organizers
said that we’d have two concerts:
one at AUB and one in the east side.
I refused, as this would imply my
political recognition of a divided
Beirut. Finally, they found a place
smack on the Green Line: “Ecole de
Lettres,” which had an entrance from
the East and one from the West. The
concert hall was packed with people
even standing. People were hungry
for music, but also wanted to see this
crazy guy who was giving a concert in
the middle of the war.
When did you realize that your son,
Julian, was talented in music?
Julianwas singing inperfect tunebefore
he could speak, and he had a fine sense
of rhythm. At the age of five, he asked to
play the violin and took it very seriously.
When he was 10, we were in Hawaii on
a visit, and therewas a band in the hotel.
Julian picked up his violin and started
playing with them. He obviously had a
talent for performing.
When did you start performing
together?
We started playing together at home
when he was about eight. As he grew
older, I would ask Julian at my concerts
in Geneva to join me on stage for
an encore. At 15, we gave our first
concert where his name was featured
on the program. We also formed “The
Gentlemen Quartet” with another
father and son. We had stopped
for a while as Julian was battling a
life-threatening illness. But thanks
to amazing medical advances, he’s
perfectly well now. I love performing
with my son. Unlike some fathers and
sons who have little in common, Julian
and I share the same passion and can
spend hours together. I should like to
add that his younger brother Mike is
an artist in his own right and I am very
proud of them both.
Q & A
with
Jad Azkoul