Classical guitarist Jad Azkoul received a standing ovation for his recital before approximately 350 people May 4 at Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church on River Road. The Byzantine-style chapel was the setting for Azkoul’s repertoire, which featured classical guitar pieces by composers Antonio Lauro (Venezuela), Heitor-Villa-Lobos (Brazil), Astor Piazzolla (Argentina), Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (Italy), and Issac Albeniz (Spain). Azkoul introduced each selection, explaining its historical and personal significance.
The final piece, Albeniz’ "Asturias," was adapted by Lebanese-born signer and ‘oud musician Farid Al-Atrash in the 1940s, and its theme became recognizable throughout the Arab world. Jad Azkoul himself was born to Lebanese parents in New York, and delighted the audience with the original classical version of a popular favorite.
While warming up for the encore, Azkoul played a few phrases of Arabic music, drawing a reaction from the crowd. He joked, "That will be for another recital."
The concert was presented by the American Friends of Notre Dame University Lebanon to benefit the school. Notre Dame University, Lebanon is a private, non-profit Catholic university in Lebanon.
The concert was Azkoul's first U.S. appearance in 10 years, and a homecoming for the former Washingtonian. In the early 1990s, Azkoul taught at American University and the Catholic University of America.
As a high school and college student in Lebanon, Azkoul played guitar in a rock band. After receiving his master's degree in psychology from the American University of Beirut, he decided to devote himself to music and traveled to Boston to study jazz composition at the Berklee College of Music. Two years later, he moved to Paris, where he trained under masters of classical composition Pierre Petit and Nadia Boulanger, among others. The Uruguayan virtuoso Abel Carlevaro invited Azkoul to Montevideo where for three years he perfected his technique. He later became one of Carlevaro's foremost teaching assistants. Since 1984, Azkoul has been residing in Geneva, where he is professor at the Conservatoire Populaire de Musique. He currently has two albums, "Latin Illustrations for Guitar" and "De Granada a Buneos Aires."