Marcel Khalife Explained

Marcel Khalife
Background:	solo_singer
Birth Name:	Marcel Khalife
Birth Date:	10 June 1950
Birth Place:	Amsheet, Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon
Occupation:	Singer-songwriter, oud player
Years Active:	1972–present

Marcel Khalife (Arabic: مرسيل خليفة; born 10 June 1950 in Amchit) is a Lebanese musical composer, singer, and oud player.

Biography

In 1983, Paredon Records (later acquired by Smithsonian Folkways) released Promises of the Storm, a collection of protest songs and political ballads.^[1]

Tunisia

In July 2009, Khalife returned to Tunisia to perform on the stage of the Roman amphitheater to a full house, as part of the 45th International Festival of Carthage. Speaking to the audience, Khalife opened the concert by stating:^[2]

Khalife later dedicated a song to the "revolutionary leader Che Guevara".

Ana Yousef, ya Abi case

Three times (1996, 1999, and 2003), he faced criminal prosecution for his song I am Joseph, O Father, written by the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.^[3]

Education

Khalifé studied the oud at the Beirut National Conservatory of Music and graduated in 1971.^[4] ^[5] ^[6]

Professional life

After graduating from the Beirut National Conservatory of Music in 1971, Khalife taught the art of oud playing there until 1975.^[5] Between 1972 and 1975, he taught music at public universities and several private music institutions in Lebanon while at the same touring the MENA region, Europe, and the United States to perform.^[7]

He formed in 1972 a musical group in Amchit to revive his village's musical heritage, and it performed for the first time in Lebanon. He formed in 1976 Al Mayadine Ensemble, which toured Arabic-speaking countries, Europe, the United States, Canada, South America, Australia, and Japan.^[6] ^[8]

Personal life

His eldest son, Juilliard School graduate Rami Khalife, is a pianist and composer.^[9] ^[10] In October 2011, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, under the conductorship of James Gaffigan, premiered Khalife's 'Chaos', for orchestra and piano, with Khalife at the helm as a soloist. In February 2013, Rami Khalife's Arab Spring-inspired 'Requiem' was premiered, within the same program as Marcel Khalife's suite "Oriental".^[11]

Works

Books

In 1982, he wrote a six-part Anthology of Studying the Oud.

Performances

2005.11.14: Lincoln Theatre (Washington, D.C.) USA^[12]
2004.01.12: Kennedy Center Washington DC USA^[13]
2008.10.10: De Roma Borgerhout, Antwerp, Belgium^[14]
2011.03.13: Al-Bustan Concert Series, Philadelphia, PA, USA^[15]
2014.11.15: Al-Bustan Concert Series, Philadelphia, PA, USA^[16]
2016.12.18: Day for Night Festival, Houston, TX, USA^[17]
2018.05.25 Institut des cultures arabes et méditerranéennes,Geneva, Switzerland^[18]

Films

Marcel Khalife has composed soundtracks for films, documentaries, and fiction, produced by Maroun Baghdadi, Oussama Mohammed, Sophi Sayhf Eddin, and Samir Zikra. His music is also featured in the documentary Occupied Minds produced by Jamal Dajani and David Michaelis. His music featured in the documentary film Sons of Eilaboun by Hisham Zreiq.^[19]

Talks

Marcel Khalife gave a talk on 12 March 2013, at the American University of Sharjah about his latest CD, The Fall of the Moon, and his longing towards the late Mahmoud Darwish. He also spoke about the prospects of publishing his autobiography in two volumes.^[20]