In a world where fate and free will intertwine, the journey of life is shaped by the choices we make and the opportunities we seize. Composer and businessman Omar Harfouch tells his story from wartime Lebanon to Moscow’s conservatories to a life devoted to music. I was born in Lebanon at the height of the civil war.
From an early age, the only reality I knew was armed conflict and destruction. A world where children, instead of playing, are forced to hide from sniper bullets and shells seemed the norm. But everything changed when I was eleven, and my father brought a piano into the house.
He bought the instrument for my elder sister. And I secretly began to pick out melodies and compose music. By the age of fourteen, living in war-torn Tripoli, I was giving up to five concerts a year.
Imagine: a city where gunfights and explosions never cease, and a teenager takes the stage to give listeners the magic of music. At seventeen, a turning point occurred. I won a competition organised by the Soviet Union.
The grand prize was the opportunity to study music in the USSR. I arrived in Moscow with 150 dollars in my pocket and not a word of Russian. I spent the first three nights sleeping in Sheremetyevo — no one met me or knew about my arrival.
Out of desperation, I made my own way to the conservatory. The rector admitted that my technique was weak. No wonder, because there were no conservatories in my homeland.
But he saw a spark in me and decided to give me a chance. I immersed myself in my studies. I eagerly absorbed Russian culture and traditions.
I dreamed of being like my idols: the composers of the Mighty Handful. I also entered the Diplomatic Academy of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. My teachers were legendary diplomats including Yevgeny Primakov, the future Prime Minister of Russia.
Now, after turning fifty, I have finally set my priorities straight. My children have grown up, my business is running smoothly, and I can return to the main thing — music. It is a difficult path, but there is no other.
When a sniper shot at me as a child, two of my friends died. I survived only because I ran faster. This wound still festers in my soul.
But I found the strength to forgive even that killer. Otherwise, I simply could not have gone on living. And I intend to continue bringing my music to people — the music of peace, kindness, and love. As long as I have the strength, I will devote myself entirely to this mission.