Mario Rahi Biography

Born in Lebanon in 1983, Mario Rahi started the violin at a very young age. He pursued his diploma studies at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory of Rome with Maestro Claudio Cornoldi. In 2011, Mario Rahi was awarded his master’s degree, with the maximum vote from the Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia with Prof. Domenico Nordio and Sonig Tchakerian.

During his studies, Mario attended several master classes for solo, chamber and orchestral music with renowned professors such as Salvatore Accardo at the Accademia Chigiana of Siena. He was appointed concert master at the World Youth Orchestra from 2001 until 2010, and performed with famous and reputed Italian artists such as Bruno Giuranna (chamber music) and Stefano Montanari (Baroque music). Later on, Mario was admitted to the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra, established by the legendary film-music composer Ennio Morricone. 

Back to Lebanon at the age of 28, Mario has been part of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra since 2011. He is currently a violin teacher at the Lebanese National Conservatory of Music. He also contributed to the development of the “Conservatory Youth Orchestra” that he has been coaching with great passion and dedication until today. Mario appeared several times as soloist and concertmaster with the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra performing concertos by Mozart, Saint-Saëns and Hakim. He is often invited to perform in many festivals in Lebanon and abroad especially in Italy.  Mario reserves particular interest in promoting Lebanese classical music, some of the compositions was dedicated to him such as Iyad kanaan’s violin sonata and Naji Hakim’s variations on a minuet by J.S Bach. 

Ayad Khalife Biography

began piano lessons at the age of 5 at the National Conservatory of Lebanon under the guidance of Narine ABRILIAN and Angela HADICHIAN, where he brilliantly obtained his Bachelor’s degree diploma at the age of 15. From 1998 to 2005, he performed concerts, auditions, and recitals with his twin brother, Sary, a cellist, organized by institutions such as the National Conservatory of Lebanon and the AL-BOUSTAN festival. At the age of 13 and 15, Ayad played as a soloist twice with the Lebanese National Philharmonic Orchestra, consecutively interpreting KABALEVSKI’s Second Concerto and MENDELSSOHN’s Second Concerto. In 2004, Ayad won the 3rd prize at the 6th International Piano Competition in Morocco (Jury President: France Clidat). A year later, he won the 1st prize at the Margot BABICKIAN Piano Competition in Beirut.

In 2006, Ayad joined the National Conservatory of Boulogne-Billancourt in France, studying piano under Paul-André GAYE and chamber music under Hortense CARTIER- BRESSON, and obtained his chamber music diploma with honors. Four years later, he earned his 1st Prize in piano unanimously with honors and continued his studies at the PSPBB (pôle supérieur Paris-Boulogne-Billancourt) in 2010, brilliantly obtaining his professional national higher diploma (DNSPM) in piano and a Bachelor’s degree in Musicology.

During this period, he also studied jazz with Jazzman Damien NEDONCHELLE and chamber music with Jérôme VOISIN, and joined Vincent LË QUANG’s improvisation class. Ayad is also passionate about teaching and in 2015, he obtained his state diploma in piano teaching at the CFEDEM of Poitou-Charentes. Since 2015, he has been a full-time piano teacher at the Oliver MESSIAEN and Albéric MAGNARD conservatories in Evry (Grand-Paris-Sud).

Ayad has participated in numerous events, concerts, and recitals in France and abroad, performing in prestigious venues such as Place des arts theater in Montreal, Barbican Hall in London, Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha, and the Grand Palais in Paris. His rich repertoire includes performances of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.1, Liszt’s Piano Concerto No.1, and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra alongside his brother Sary KHALIFE on cello and Karim SALEH on violin, conducted by Michalis ECONOMOU.

Ayad regularly composes and improvises. In 2014, he released his first album “Naseej” in collaboration with his brother Sary KHALIFE and Mike MASSY. Inspired by Lebanese folklore, jazz, spiritual poetry, Muwashahat, and Sufi music, “Naseej” features nine original works totaling 80 minutes. The album was entirely produced by the Zouk Mikaël International Festival and premiered in August 2014 during the festival’s summer season.

Ayad also composes for orchestra. His orchestral suite “ESQUISSES” was first performed in 2017 with the Lebanese National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by German GUTIERREZ. The reduction for solo piano of the same suite was also performed in 2014 at the Salle Cortot in Paris with Ayad on piano.

In 2018, Ayad released his second album “SOOBIA,” co-written with his brother Sary and produced by AFAC (the Arab Cultural Fund) and Nagam Records. The album, a fusion of jazz, oriental music, and classical music, received critical acclaim and made a strong impression upon its release. Following the album’s signing at Virgin Megastore in Lebanon, the project was performed in several concert halls including La Marbrerie (Montreuil, France), Le Nouveau Monde (Fribourg, Switzerland), Sun-Side (Paris, France), the Town Hall of the 16th arrondissement of Paris (Paris, France), NDU Theater (Lebanon), Al-Hambra Theater (Geneva, Switzerland),the Biermans-Lapôtre Foundation (Paris, France), The Salines Royales de Dieuze (France), The Opera Theater (The Cultural City – Carthage, Tunisia), L’ÉTAGE (double concert with Tigran HAMASYAN – Rennes, France) etc.

In 2021, Ayad collaborated with cellist Sary KHALIFE and singer Jahida WEHBE to release the album “SALT & SHADOWS,” featuring spoken poetry and instrumental improvisation on cello and piano. The album showcases works by poets such as Mahmoud Darwich, Alda Merini, Wadih Saadi, Fernando Pessoa, Anna Akhmatova, Alejandra Pitharnik, and Bassam Hajjar.

Sary Khalife Biography

Born in Lebanon, Sary Khalife enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician, studio artist, and composer. He began his musical journey with the piano at the age of five. By seven, he had switched his focus to the cello, studying under Professor Sarkis Kochkarian at Beirut’s National Conservatory. Demonstrating exceptional talent, Sary achieved his baccalaureate at the age of 15 and subsequently performed as a soloist with the Lebanese National Symphonic Orchestra. At an early age, he relocated to France to further his education, starting at the CRR in BoulogneBillancourt, where he studied under Xavier Gagnepain and achieved unanimously the first prize in 2008. He continued his studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse de Paris in 2011, under the tutelage of renowned cellists such as Rolland Pidoux, Xavier Phillips, Marc Coppey, and Pauline Bartissol. By 2016, he had earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in solo cello performance. Additionally, Sary ventured into the world of improvisation, studying with Alexandros Markeas and Vincent Lequang. Since 2004, Sary has been a member of the prestigious West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, under the world-renowned conductor, Daniel Barenboim. His talent led him to broaden his collaboration by joining the Divan Ensemble, a chamber music group led by Michael Barenboim. They have toured together across Europe on several occasions, performing at notable venues such as the Philharmonie de Paris, Vienna Konzerthaus, London’s Royal Albert Hall, and Paris’s Salle Pleyel. Sary furthered his orchestral career by holding a position with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg from 2017-2019, and collaborating with the Orchestre National de Metz, the Orchestre de Mulhouse, as well as other ensembles and orchestras across France and Europe. In 2013 he performed the Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in collaboration with Ayad Khalife and Karim Saleh with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Michalis Economou. Notably, Sary recently embarked on the ambitious “Popper Project,” recording an album dedicated to the 40 études of Popper. For this venture, he joined forces with luminaries in the French musical cello scene, including Jerome Pernoo, Edgar Moreau, François Salque, Ophelie Gaillard, JulienLaferrière Victor, and Xavier Gagnepain. Sary’s discography also features albums like “Naseej” (2014) in partnership with Ayad Khalife and Mike Massy, and “Soobia” (2018) co-composed with Ayad, which won the AFAC Award. Over the years, Sary has collaborated with leading figures in the music world, including Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Gustavo Dudamel, John Nelson, Jacques Lacombe, Marko Letonja, Giuliano Carella, Constantin Trinks, Michalis Economou, Nader Abbassi, Marco Guidarini, and more. His compositions, such as “Till We Meet Again” and “Monologue,” highlight his diverse musical abilities. Beyond his performance career, Sary has a strong interest in supporting music education for children. Since 2021, he has actively participated in the Philharmonie de Paris’s ‘Démos’ project as a member of a 10-musician team, visiting Abu Dhabi to collaborate closely with local educators in teaching children and establishing a youth orchestra.