THE PIANO DUEL at Jounieh Festival

Raul Di Blasio
Born in Zapala, Argentina,^[1] Raúl Di Blasio showed a great interest in piano at the age of six. After his parents' recommendations that he should study music, he began to pursue piano as a career.

Di Blasio practiced piano alongside his teachers for more than four years. Having difficulty in purchasing a piano, he also relied on readily available sources of music such as whistling with his father, which helped develop the sort of melodies he employs in his work. One of his teachers was the renowned Argentinian composer and Pianist Bebu Silvetti from whom Di Blasio drew great inspiration.

This was the beginning of Di Blasio's career in music. He had early formation in the Classic Technique, but he equally enjoys popular music. He admits that when he was 17 years old he was part of the rock movement with phenomena such as The Beatles. However, his parents asked him to pursue university studies and have a degree-based career in his life.

Di Blasio is someone who thrives on constant change in his life. He moved to Chile in 1978, where he began playing traditional music, Rock, and Classic Notes. He composed his own melodies and worked as a pianist in a bar, confessing he "scraped by to survive...", but that he was still happy doing so.^{[citation needed]}

In 1983 he released his first album on EMI Chile. Then, a producer from the record company BCS-S in Chile contracted with Di Blasio and his second album was born. This album included Latin American music.

Michel Fadel
Born into a family of artists, at the age of 8 he won the first prize in the youth Competition at the University of St Esprit at Kaslik. From there his hobby went on to take a whole new form.
Michel obtained his masters degree in classical piano at the Higher National Conservatory of Beirut and graduated with excellence.

In 2000, he made his way to Hollywood and participated in the World Championship of Performing Arts as an instrumental composer. He won the first Prize under his category: Grand Champion Instrumentalist of the Year 2000. In 2004, he joined the tutors’ team of Star Academy, a show produced by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation-LBC.

Michel Fadel’s indisputable talent and allure for music made him one of the finest pianist & musical arrangers in the region.