KOURA, Lebanon: The Ukrainian pianist Tatiana Primak-Khoury has been living in Lebanon for almost 10 years. Appointed artist-in-residence at the University of Balamand shortly after her arrival, and with her regular performances and teaching schedule, she’s been “playing a lot since then.

”In a Tuesday interview with The Daily Star, Primak-Khoury explained what her artist-in-residence role entails, and what her upcoming Saturday evening performance will offer audiences.

Primak-Khoury studied at the Kiev Conservatory (also known as the Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music) where she met her husband – Lebanese composer Houtaf Khoury. They moved together to Tripoli, where she began her career at Balamand.

“[Balamand] is a real cultural and educational center, not only to the north of Lebanon but probably for the countries nearby,” said Primak-Khoury. “It is growing in importance. So it was an honor to me that they asked me to be part of their cultural life.”

Playing an average of one concert per month, the artist-in-residence regularly performs classical masterpieces such as Beethoven’s sonatas, Rachmaninoff’s preludes, Brahms’ rhapsodies and Chopin’s ballades.

But for Saturday’s performance, Primak-Khoury will be playing – and not for the first time – works by Lebanese composers, because for her “it is important to present compositions written by local composers.”

Among those on the program, “some are known,” she said, and “some are forgotten.”

Primak-Khoury will honor the famed composer Toufic Succar by playing his “Variations sur un Theme Oriental op.2” (“Variations on a Middle Eastern Theme op.2”). Born in Tripoli in 1922, Succar is known for his polyphonic compositions. He was an experimental composer, a pioneer in blending musical types such as Middle Eastern music with Maronite tunes. Renowned for his variety, Succar’s repertoire includes chamber music and choir songs.

Paris-based Bechara al-Khoury’s compositions will also be part of the lineup, which Primak-Khoury put together herself.

Known for his 1985 composition “Les Ruines de Beyrouth” (“Beirut’s Ruins”) mourning the Civil War, Khoury is both a composer and a conductor. His composition “Les Fleuves Engloutis” even made it to the finals of the 2003 Masterprize International Composing Competition. The younger composer, born in 1957, “is ... modern in his musical language,” stated Primak-Khoury.

The artist-in-residence’s performance will surely bring to light the creativity of the Lebanese composers Primak-Khoury has chosen. Armenian-Lebanese composer and pianist Boghos Gelalian, born in 1927, is known for his mixing of different musical genres. He has accompanied various choirs and worked with the Rahbani brothers.

Because of his blending of Armenian and Middle Eastern influences, combined with his reputation as a versatile musician, Primak-Khoury will play his “Canzona e Toccata pour piano” both to show her own versatility and to pay respect to such a respected composer, even though he is from “an older generation,” as she put it.

Another grand Armenian that Primak-Khoury will play Saturday is Anis Fuleihan (1900-1970). At the beginning of the 20th century, Fuleihan toured the Middle East and the U.S. His compositions are said to be influenced by folk music, once again showing the multiplicity of the composers on show Saturday night.

Finally, Primak-Khoury will honor – in the evening’s most personal selection – a composition written by her husband Houtaf Khoury. His works have been played all around the world, and he is also the author of two books about Lebanese music: “La Musique au Liban entre 1943-1945” and “Les Deux Tendances Stylistiques dans la Musique Symphonique Libanaise.”

Primak-Khoury’s husband originally wrote the piece that she will now play, “Elegie,” for the Lebanese pianist Walid Akl, who died in 1997. She called this composition special because “[Khoury] used the Lebanese National Anthem,” she said, “but in minor key.” She explained how originally it was written in a major key, giving a “joyful” sense to the song. But in a minor key, her husband’s “Elegie” sounds “not as optimistic,” she said.

When asked about the general reaction of Lebanese audiences to her music, Primak-Khoury expressed her gratitude to her faithful spectators, who come to see her month after month. “They know where they go and what to expect,” she said. For her, being an artist-in-residence “is a cultural and educational mission.”

Tatiana Primak-Khoury will play “Lebanese Composers” at the University of Balamand on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. For more information please call 06-930-250.