W e l c o m e
Since the beginning of 2014, I have been living as artist in residence of the Johannes-Wasmuth-Gesellschaft in Rolandseck to pursue my career as soloist and chamber musician.
B i o g r a p h y
Born to Egyptian parents in Kinshasa, I emigrated to Québec at a young age, where I commenced my musical studies at the Conservatoire du Québec à Val-d’Or. After further studies in Paris, I graduated with a master degree in Montréal with Prof. Raoul Sosa in interpretation and chamber music. In the following, I attended master classes with, among others, Jerome Lowenthal, Ramsi Yassa, Seth Knopp and Raffi Armenian, to complete my musical education. I received invitations from reknown orchestras such the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, the Montréal Conservatory Orchestra and the Trois-Rivières Orchestra and enjoyed the honour of playing at the Lugano Festival in 2010 by invitation of Martha Argerich (see Gallery for video recordings).
I am a passionate soloist and chamber musician who quickly started to enjoy and specialise in the extraordinary repertoire for two pianos and piano four hands. On numerous occasions, I have performed with my long-standing piano partner Olivier Godin from Montréal. Together, we recorded Rachmaninov's entire work for two pianos. In 2016 and under the label ATMA Classique, Olivier and I recorded the Liebeslieder Walzer Op. 52 and Op. 62 by Johannes Brahms as well as the Walzer für Pianoforte zu vier Händen Op. 39 with four singers.
Following an invitation from the Barenboim-Said Akademie and the association Beethovenplus e.V. I played concerts and taught classes to students of the Barenboim Conservatory. In summer 2014, I went on tour with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under the direction of Daniel Barenboim and with soloist Martha Argerich to Buenos Aires and through Europe. In the course of the tour, I performed classical pieces but also world premieres of contemporary work of Israeli and Palestian composers.
Together with actress Isabel Karajan and Olivier Godin, I performed at the Hans-Arp museum in Rolandseck presenting "Fräulein Tod trifft Schostakowitsch" in September 2014. In August 2017, I participated at the 12th Rolandseck festival under artistic director Mihaela Martin together with piano partner Itamar Golan. In December of the same year, I performed at the gala concert with Martha Argerich in Bonn with Paganini variations in the version for two pianos by Witold Lutowsławski.