Jad Azkoul (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

: جأد عزقول) is a teacher and concert classical guitarist who was once the student of Abel Carlevaro, and translated much of his work. In 1997, Carlevaro declared that Azkoul was his "genuine representative", as well as being a "great master teaching alongside" him. Azkoul is renowned both as a performer and teacher; he is often invited to give masterclasses in various festivals throughout the world.

Critical acclaim

Jad Azkoul was awarded the Order of the Cedar, making him a

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, for his musical contributions to the country.

Joseph McLellan Joseph Duncan McLellan, known as Joe, (1929-2005) was ''The Washington Posts music critic for more than three decades as well as a chess and book reviewer. Joe was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, on March 27, 1929, and grew up in Somerville, Mass ...

of the

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

had this to say on the subject of Jad Azkoul's guitar-playing: “Azkoul can make his instrument sing. This is a skill far more important than the ability to whip out thousands of notes per minute accurately and expressively, which he can also do.” On another occasion, McLellan was quoted as saying: "The guitar can be many different kinds of instrument, and Azkoul is a master of all its potentials: the raw power of the amplified guitar used in rock (which is how Azkoul began as a boy in his native Lebanon), the delicacies of music composed for the lute, the fire and energy of Flamenco, the rhythmic complexities of Latin American dances and the experimental techniques of modern composers."

Career

Jad Azkoul has been teaching at the Conservatoire Populaire de Musique, Danse et Théàtre (CPMDT) in Geneva since 1984. Two notable absences were when he lived and taught in Washington DC from 1991 to 1996, and when he was in London on sabbatical leave (2010-2011). Since 2010 he has also been on the music faculty at the London College of Music. He gives regular summer master classes in France at "

Musicalta Musicalta is a classical music festival and a classical music school, founded in 1996 in Lapoutroie, France. Musicalta takes place every year between 15 July and 15 August, in Rouffach, France. Musicalta also organizes concerts out of Alsace suc ...

" in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it ha ...

and at the "Musicales de Grillon" in

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azkoul, Jad Classical guitarists Music educators Living people Knights of the National Order of the Cedar Year of birth missing (living people)