Who is Johnny Hachem and some of his piano play thoughts: Johnny Hachem is a Switzerland based composer and pianist, who was born in Lebanon to parents of musical backgrounds. His father played Violin while his mother had a great talent for Piano. He developed an impeccable ear refined over time listening carefully to his mom’s music. He grew up surrounded by sounds, music sheets as well chords which served an important role during his childhood years due to war-torn country’s complicated politics. However, whenever fire ceased he would play piano left handed even if it meant practicing alone! See even more info on Johnny Hachem.
Some of your works are artistic storytelling of war drama, like “The Battle of Siddim” or biblical themes, like “The Fall of Jericho” or your award-winning “Jacob & Rachel, The Love Story” others are more of standalone pieces like “Dawn”. How do you choose your themes? Is there a constant composing process like Haydn had or you go with improvisations to hone your pieces? Johnny Hachem: My musical compositions often talk about specific events that happened in the past or about certain circumstances that I lived or I dream of living. But when I am playing my own compositions in a piano recital, I always like to have a space to improvise according to how I feel at the time. Improvisation is an essential part of composition. The great composer Rachmaninov did this at several concerts when he was performing his own compositions.
As for learning piano and music composition, Johnny got his training from the Lebanese higher Conservatory of Music and earned a master’s degree with distinction. Since then, there has been no looking back for him. In fact, Johnny has been composing for more than 20 years and has produced music for orchestras and chamber music. Moreover, many symphony orchestras have been playing his compositions on the stages in various countries across the world.
Who are you listening to these days? Johnny Hachem: Brahms, Wagner & Sibelius. This is a brand new year. What hopes and plans do you have? Johnny Hachem: I am composing 3 new pieces for symphony orchestra, Wind Quintet & String Quartet, I hope they will be performed during this year and loved by the audience! Before we go, could you say a few encouraging words for your fans and readers? Johnny Hachem: First, I want to thank you for those deep and interesting questions and for interviewing me! I want to thank all my friends and fans who believed in my talent and encouraged me throughout the years and tell them to believe always in their own taste and never work against their belief!
He not only successfully cultivated his talents and became one of the few names in the industry but also won a music composition award at International Composition Conference in 2009. Then in 2021, he managed to win big at the Classic Pure Vienna International Composition as well. The unparalleled achievements of this artist have no limitations as Johnny has performed as a soloist in various concerts and international festivals in multiple countries such as Ukraine, Lebanon and Switzerland. Apart from that, he has shown what a skilled pianist he is while performing in France, Austria, Germany, England, Spain, Poland, Romania, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Belarus, South Korea, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
It is good to meet different, unique, creative artists, musicians. Johnny Hachem is one of them. The award-winning composer, pianist shares his thoughts and experiences on music creation in the 21st century, the contemporary and old time classical music and how he combines the modern technology with his compositions. Be brave and read on! And while you are at it, listen to Johnny Hachem‘s Jacob & Rachel, The Love Story, great treat for the ears!