Biography

Nationality: Lebanese

Education: I started the Qanun of the age of seven in the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music (Conservatory) with Mr.Mohamed Al-Sabsaby. I had my Diploma in 1991 from the Conservatory with a distinction in the Qanun.

At the same time, I studied at the Lebanese Academy of Arts (ALBA) from where I graduated in Architecture in 1994.

Innovation

While exploring the repertoire of Western composers, I had the motivation to play some pieces on my Qanun. To realize this purpose, I had the idea of playing with eight fingers, a technique that nobody taught it to me. It was, and still now, a pure personal research of which I am very proud. By this technique, I am exploring little of the repertoire. the most interesting thing to me is being able to adapt this technique in the Classical Arabic Music.

Solo’s Concerts

The solo’s concerts I have presented until now are:

- Auditorium Amine Gemayel, Beirut (15th Dec 1995).
- Auditorium des Jesuites, Beirut (27th June 1997).
- Al Bustan International Festival of Music and The Arts, Crystal Room, Lebanon; 1st of March 1999: the program was presented on two qanuns.
- Theatre Le Monot, Beirut, Lebanon (16th July 2000).

Other Experiences

I teach the Qanun at the Conservatory since 1989.

Dean of the Qanun section at the Conservatory 2001- 2007.

Qanun player in the Oriental Orchestra of Beirut at the Conservatory, 2000-2001
Qanun Player in the Oriental Arabic Music Ensemble at the Conservatory:
Al Bustan International Festival of Music and the Arts, Beirut; 1995, 1996+solo
Officially representing Lebanon in the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA), Paris; 8th and 9th January 1999 + solo
Festival Jbeil, Lebanon; 14th September 1999 + Solo
The Oriental Ensemble recorded an album-2001 produced by A.Chahine and sons, Voix de l’Orient Series: Oriental Dream.

I have taken part in several of Ziad Rahbani’s concerts and recordings.

Qanun player in Fayrouz’s Orchestra for her recent performances in 1999 (Tunisia, Jordan, Las-Vegas conducted by Mr.Mike Herou; in 2001, Dubai, Kuwait, Suisse conducted by Mr.Karen Durgaryan. At Beiteddine Festival- Lebanon (4th and 5th of August 2000, 27th 28th and 31st July 2001, 2002, 2003) with the Symphony Orchestra of Yerivan conducted Karen Durgaryan, United States of America- 2003, and Jordan 25th September 2004, Al Bahrain 2006. I played as well in her recent recordings.

Qanun player with l’Orchestre de Boulogne at Baalbeck Festival (7th and 8th July 2000) with the conductor Philip Hui, soprano Fadia Al-Hage, composer Marcel Khalifeh.

I played with the French Ensemble Transparances in 1998 at Al Bustan International Festival having Mr.Jean-claude Chapuis as a director.

I played with the Greek ensemble EN CHORDAIS (Mr. Kiriakos Kalaitzidis as an artistic director) in the Festival called “Musical July in Epidavros” Athens (13th and 14th July 2001).

I played with the Greek ensemble En Chordais in the Concert Hall of Tessaloniki (Megaron) on 31st October 2002 and 31st January 2004 .As well in Brussels (2003).

I played with Constantinople Ensemble in the Festival du Monde Arabe, Montreal, Canada, in October 2003. The result of this collaboration was an Album titled: Carrefour De La Méditerranée produced by ATMA classique, Quebec, Canada.

Solo Qanun player representing Lebanon, in The International Qanun Meeting, a project for the Europenean Union (MediMuses), Beyrouth 16th, 17th, 18th January 2003.

Solo Qanun player representing Lebanon in the Qanun Meeting of Thessaloniki, Athens, November 2003.

Solo Qanun player with Ghada Shbeir as Solo Vocal in a liturgical concert at the Al Bustan International Festival of Music and the Arts, Lebanon (15th March 2004).

Concert with the Oriental Ensemble of Beirut (Oud: Charbel Rouhana, Nay: Samir Siblini, Rik: Ali Al Khatib, Voice: Ghada Shbeir and Rima Khcheich, Kanoun: Imane Homsy) at the Church of St Francesco Della Vigna, Venice (Saturday 31st July 2004), at the Cemal Resit Rey Konser
Salonu-Istanbul-Turkey (Friday 7th January 2005).

JARASH Festival - The international Qanun Meeting- Jordan (4th, 6th August 2004), officially representing Lebanon.

Solo Qanun performance at the Schirn Café (5th, 9th October 2004), in the Frankfurt International Fair with the collaboration of the Lebanese Ministry of Culture.

Solo Qanun Concert (27th Nov 2004) and Duo concert with the Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich (21st Nov 2004) at the Festival of the Arabic Music - The Opera Stage - Egypt.

Solo Qanun Concert at the Shaikh Ebrahim Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Center for Culture and Research, Al Bahrain, Monday19th Dec 2005.

Trio Concert " Hyms from the East " Athens 10 - and 11 - 12 - 2009
Oud:Kiriakos Kalaitzidis
Vocal: Ghada Shbeir
Kanoun: Imane Homsy
Theocharakis Foundation For The Fine Arts And Music

I play as well with other famous singers such as Oumayma El Khalil, Tania Saleh and had recorded in their albums, with Charbel Rouhana as well in his concerts and recordings.

New accomplished perspectives:

- The first Album came out in August 2008 under the title: “Imane Homsy, Seigneur Kanoun (Lord Qanun)”, released from the Institut du Monde Arabe (I.M.A.) and distributed by Harmunia Mundi.

- In 1999, I performed at the International Festival of Al Bustan with a program previewed on two qanuns putted in a perpendicular position one to the other. The principal qanun is mainly in front of the player, while the second one is on his right in a perpendicular position to the principal qanun. The new changes in the second qanun are the strings. Usually three strings are tuned exactly the same to give one sound. On the second qanun, two strings were tuned exactly the same with the same level and the third string is tuned one octave lower. When the string is hit with one finger- meaning one hand is playing – the sound is like the two hands are playing with the left hand below. So even when the melody has many modulations, the left hand still do his job and change the mandal, and the right hand goes on playing but this time with two sounds as if the left hand still playing.

My performances with two qanuns:

Festival Al Bustan (Beirut, March 1999)

International Qanun Meeting (Beirut, January 2003)

- The technique of the ten fingers, used for the first time to follow the singing:

a- With Ghada Shbeir in the liturgical concert at the International Festival of Al Bustan on 15th March 2004.

b- With Rima Khcheich performing the Arabic classical music. The pieces are “Ya Layla” (Zaki Nassif), “Soulayma” (Zakia Hamdan, singer) and “Al Siba Wal Gamal” (Mohamed Abed Al Wahab), Beirut 2004.

I arranged these three pieces in the new way of playing in order to fit on my instrument with the singing. This approach, allow the kanoun to be in another dimension and it is a new way and research in following the singing differently from the traditional way.

Passed away 2013

Honoring Iman Homsi - Anun in Notre Dame University Louaize - 15.10.2013