Faces from our home – Jabalna Magazine
I carry the original and supreme art of Lebanon , the rich in it’s melody, to present it to the world with western technique and skills. This how the music composer, violinist and orchestra conductor Samer Hatoum who Immigrated to Ireland used these words briefly to describe the fourteen years of being away from Lebanon towards achieving his goals one after the other as the proverb tells: The king is the man who walks with confidence :
Samer Hatoum comes from a town called Kfarselwan, studied the classical violin for five years in the National Conservatory of Lebanon in Beirut and played with many concerts and festivals with the Lebanese music composer and pianist Ihsan Al Mounzer.
He moved to Ireland in 2000 searching for global and more expanded world of music beyond the horizon , so he studied music composition for three years in the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, then continued his studies in the orchestral conducting in Budapest-Hungary.
He issued his first album in 2011 which contains some romantic music which was recorded in Almounzer Super Sound in Beirut.
The conductor Samer Hatoum started rearranging some of the classical music works as ( Will I meet you tomorrow) which was sung by the Egyptian legend Um Kulthum and ( Kalemat-Words ) for Majida El Roumi as he introduced the Horn which is a Brass classical and orchestral instrument which he knows through the music studies can accompany and follow all the orchestral instruments.
In 2013, Samer Hatoum met with the well known concert pianist in Romania and Europe Ioana Lupascu as they worked together in fruitful cooperation which resulted in getting invited by the Ploeisti Philarmonic Orchestra which performed Kalemat in October 3rd 2013 which admired the audience in Romania and the European media .
Samer Hatoum told Jabalna Magzine :
I’m very proud being from Lebanon which I suppose it the pumping heart to the world , and I’m proud of the music back ground which follows me and put it’s remarkable trace in my works, and will be working next to spread the Arabic Classical music as well as my own compositions to the world.
He expressed his privilege for his music being used by Dr. Hamda Farhat, the music therapist who holds PHD in music therapy from France and is using his music to treat patients in Lebanon, and he spoke about his near future plans which will be concentrated in the United States of America which contains his new collaboration in orchestration with the American composer in California Sarah Ann Wagner and with the solo Trombonist Frank Pedulla in New York.
Samer Hatoum told Jabalna Magazine:
My dreams are too many, but among them is to perform in Baalabak and Beiteddein , and what matters is to entertain the audience and deliver the joy and satisfaction while listening to our magnificent music regardless where I play or which orchestra I conduct.
And at the end of this speech, Samer Hatoum expressed his deep admiration and warm thanks to Jabalna Magazine and to Fadia Samaan who dedicated time for this article .