Pianist
Rami Khalifé was born in Beirut in 1981. His father, the musician and composer Marcel Khalifé, taught Rami his first notions of music and he began playing the piano when he was six years old. At the age of eight, he left his country to live in Paris, where he continued his music training. He then moved to New York where he trained at the Juillard School of Music, graduating in 2003.
All his work is inspired by his experience in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War and his sudden integration in France. His inspiration also comes from his father, a rebellious idealiste. He draws on his life, creating themes, melodies and innovative pieces that transcend boundaries and carry our imagination to new horizons. His artistic career began with his album Scene from Helleck in 2004, and then in 2007 he chose to record Prokoviev’s 5th Concerto. This piece unveiled the extraordinary pianist’s artistic vision. Although the piece is composed using the classical norms of our time, it evokes a futuristic vision with nuances of jazz, western music and even cartoon themes. In 2008 he released the album Pop Art, a fruitful collaboration with the pianist Francesco Tristano. They together formed the trio Aufgang with the drummer Aymeric Westrich and released Aufgang in 2009, Air On Fire in 2010 and Istiklaliya in 2013.