pianist Iyad Sughayer on his new music academy in Jordan

The UK-based Jordanian pianist Iyad Sughayer first got here to my consideration after I heard him at a Metropolis Music Basis recital in February 2020 [see my review], and since then he has developed fairly a popularity. He’s presently a YCAT artist and has launched a pair of extremely regarded discs of music by Khachaturian on BIS. Coming to the UK on the age of 14 to additional his musical schooling, Iyad nonetheless has robust hyperlinks to his homeland and, conscious of the necessity to enhance classical music alternatives for different Jordanian youngsters, he has lately began a music academy, the Mashrek Academy of Music in Amman.

Iyad has all the time loved educating and admits that considered one of his ambitions was to have his personal music college. Throughout the pandemic, he discovered himself with moderately an excessive amount of time on his fingers, while discovering it onerous to focus on practising. He marketed on-line classes and located himself with a number of college students from Jordan, and he got here to grasp that they wanted an instructional programme alongside their taking part in. 

On the age of round 14, Iyad needed to depart Jordan as a way to additional his musical profession and get the tutorial coaching he wanted (he got here to the UK and studied at Chetham’s College of Music in Manchester). He felt that he wished to provide these younger Jordanian pianists the alternatives to get the form of coaching in their very own nation that he had lacked. From preliminary superb, the challenge took about two years to get off the bottom and the academy opened its doorways in September this yr (2022) with round 30 youngsters, finding out strings, piano and percussion and hope so as to add new instrumental examine on an annual foundation.

The varsity is aimed toward youngsters from age 5 to 18, and Iyad’s remark is that he desires to get them hooked on music from a younger age. The lecturers are all based mostly in Amman and the pinnacle of music is a good friend of his, Hind Sabanegh, who beforehand was Tutorial Supervisor on the Edward Stated Nationwide Conservatory for Music in Jerusalem.

Mashrek Academy of Music (Picture Nader Raddad)

From the outset Iyad was reasonable that the challenge wouldn’t get off the bottom and not using a accomplice, so he contacted his old style, the Mashrek Worldwide College in Amman. He studied there from the age of 5 to 14, they usually have been very supportive when he then went off to the UK to review. For him it was a unbelievable college, with round 2000 pupils, one of many main faculties in Jordan and their involvement within the new challenge would imply with the ability to open up the music academy to everybody in Jordan. After approaching the college, they took solely two weeks to conform to the thought. The brand new music academy is on the college’s campus, and the college has invested in new amenities and devices.

The music academy is a day college, and although music just isn’t an extra-curricular exercise per se, a lot of the music actions happen at evenings and weekends. He admits that it’s fairly a compact programme for the youngsters, however they take pleasure in it, while most mother and father like the thought of not having to drive their youngsters throughout city to music classes! Iyad’s intention with the music academy is to not produce live performance artists, although he could be delighted in the event that they did, however to encourage an appreciation of music, to create a brand new technology of attorneys, medical doctors and such who recognize the artwork. For Iyad, any profitable society has music at its core. Music is essential in schooling all spherical, in addition to making a extra civilised, extra educated society.

For the following three years, the brand new music academy will probably be concentrating on ensuring that issues are working at their greatest, however Iyad admits that they’ve concepts and plans for additional growth. One related challenge is the thought for a music competition. The varsity has a nice 500-seater theatre. In the mean time they don’t have a concert-standard piano, however as soon as they’ve acquired one then Iyad desires to launch a music competition. The concept is that this won’t solely present a stage for native musicians and musicians from the Center East, but in addition will appeal to worldwide artists to come back and carry out and educate.

Iyad Sughayer at Mashrek Worldwide College (Picture Nader Raddad)

Iyad admits that he didn’t realise fairly how a lot work could be concerned in creating the academy. Beforehand all he needed to do was flip up for a gig, play after which go residence, however now he has realized an exceptional quantity, about issues that he by no means thought he would.

Iyad’s most up-to-date recording was a disc of Aram Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto and Concerto-Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra with BBC Nationwide Orchestra of Wales, conductor Andrew Litton on BIS [see my review], a follow-up to his disc of Khachaturian solo piano music [see my review]. He loves Khachaturian’s music. He factors out that Armenian music is kind of near Arabic music, and Iyad thinks that could be why he was drawn to the composer’s work. While it is not Beethoven or Brahms, Khachaturian’s music deserves to be performed.

While finding out on the Royal Northern Faculty of Music (RNCM), Iyad had performed Khachaturian’s Toccata. A good friend had began his personal orchestra and requested Iyad to carry out a concerto with them. As an alternative of one thing like Liszt’s Piano Concerto No 2, they selected one thing way more uncommon. Iyad had heard Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto on disc, and they also determined to carry out it with the orchestra as an effective way to start out. Iyad’s instructor then recommended that he take a look at Khachaturian’s piano music, a path that led to him being requested to do the primary BIS disc, which went down effectively. There’s extra Khachaturian solo piano music, however Iyad can also be eager to have a look at different repertoire.

While Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto is a comparatively identified amount, the later Concerto-Rhapsody is way extra of an unknown amount (it doesn’t even appear to have been carried out in live performance within the UK). The Concerto-Rhapsody is a far much less simply approachable work than the concerto, however Iyad hopes that individuals will give it a second likelihood. Some opinions of the disc have been lower than optimistic in regards to the Concerto-Rhapsody, however he has grown to like the piece, and feels that it deserves efficiency, and needs listeners to come back to adore it. Given the work’s type, it’s a problem for the orchestra in addition to the soloist, a giant work, robust however price it.

Andrew Keener, Iyad Sughayer, Andrew Litton at BBC Hoddinott Corridor, Cardiff for the Khachaturian concertos recording

In truth, a lot of his repertoire is early classical, a interval that he loves. In March 2023 he begins a whole Mozart piano sonata cycle at Leicester Museum Live performance Sequence, on the invitation of Nicholas Daniel, inventive director of the Leicester Worldwide Music Competition. Iyad will work his manner by the sonatas between then and 2024. However he feels he would wish to carry out the cycle three or 4 occasions earlier than even contemplating recording. He has simply turned 29, and has been fortunate sufficient to launch solo, chamber music and concerto discs, so he’s not in a rush to document his subsequent disc. 

The repertoire for the Khachaturian got here naturally, and he desires any new disc to be the identical. Because the pandemic, he has tried to play what he’s in love with. And he admits that your method adjustments over time, in order that he performed among the Mozart sonatas when he was 15 or 16, however his older self prefers to play them in another way, his speeds may be slower. In addition to pushing himself to be taught the entire cycle of Mozart sonatas, the Leicester concert events will probably be his first inventive residency and his first such full cycle of works by a composer. One other composer that pursuits him is Haydn, and while the entire sonatas could be a challenge and a half, he would love to contemplate a cycle of Haydn concertos.

One other composer we discuss is Schubert, with a cycle of Schubert sonatas being one thing that you’d develop into. Certainly one of Iyad’s lecturers was accountable an version of the Schubert sonatas with completions of the unfinished ones and it was he who suggested Iyad to have a look at Schubert’s sonatas.

On 6 December 2022, Iyad is giving a lunchtime recital at Wigmore Corridor with the French oboist Armand Djikoloum (one other YCAT artist) performing Britten, Felix Mendelssohn, Poulenc, R Schumann and Tchaikovsky [further details], a programme that they’ve already carried out on the Lammermuir Competition. On 7 March 2023, Iyad returns to Wigmore Corridor for a solo recital that includes his favorite composers in a single live performance, Khachaturian, Mozart, Robert Schumann and Sibelius [further details], a programme that he will probably be acting at concert events throughout January and February 2023. Then he returns to the corridor on 21 March 2023 with Jamaican-American viola participant Jordan Bak (a YCAT artist) in a programme of Brahms, Falla and Isang Yun (1917-1995) [further details]. The subsequent yr is an thrilling time for Iyad, with one thing on nearly each week, and he’s grateful to Nicholas Daniels and to YCAT for preserving him busy.

He began taking part in the piano in Jordan at across the age of 4. Classical music was not a standard type of artwork in Jordan when he was rising up, and the conservatoire there was good as much as a sure stage, however it turned clear that he must depart the nation if he wished to comply with extra intense musical coaching. So, on the age of 14, he travelled on his personal to Manchester and began at Chetham’s. He had an exquisite time at Chetham’s, being amongst individuals who liked what he liked.  From there he studied on the RNCM, then Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (the place he received the school’s Gold Medal) earlier than returning to RNCM the place he now teaches and calls Manchester his joint residence. Transferring to the UK on the age of 14 was made simpler by his music, it gave him a purpose for the transfer. He admits that it’s irritating for performers at a sure stage in Jordan as there aren’t any competitions, few alternatives and no festivals. When at college Jordan, he was the one one in his classroom who performed an instrument.

He has two older sisters, and Iyad’s curiosity in music began when his father purchased an electrical keyboard. Iyad’s grandfather adored music, as a listener, however no-one in his household performed an instrument. However at 4 years outdated, Iyad was taking part in tunes that he heard on the tv on the keyboard. He began piano classes and liked it, although like most kids he didn’t all the time wish to follow. His mom, who has little curiosity in music, would include him to each lesson and would make sure that he did certainly do his follow. He feels that he’s very, very fortunate.

As soon as he had left Jordan, he would return within the holidays, however when he bought busier it will usually be simply annually. Now, the brand new academy provides him the excuse to return to Amman and to go to his mother and father.