Julian Raheb is only 14 years old, but he already has a body of work in the field of music composition that rivals most college graduates. By the age of 12, he had written more than 20 original pieces of classically styled music and now, just two years later, he has debuted no less than six of them with the Regina Opera Company.
Recently, Julian debuted his latest composition, called “Almighty Blizzard,” in a performance with the esteemed opera company at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy, in Brooklyn. The music was said to imitate the erratic movements of a winter storm.
Raheb has been exhibiting his prodigious piano skills since he was 10 yearsnold, but he says he finds the most fulfillment in showing off his original works. In an interview with NETNY, Julian told Emily Drooby:
“It feels great to express myself through music and creating my own style that nobody else has done.”
The child prodigy was discovered by Francine Garber, chairwoman of the Regina Opera company. She told Brooklyn Paper that she was blown away by the maturity of the Catholic student’s music, when he was just 12. She explained that she played the Regina orchestra recordings of Julian’s pieces without telling them how young he was and, once they found out, there was a general consensus that they needed to work with Raheb.
Of his original pieces, Julian says he has been most influenced by the works of Chopin and Bach, the prolific hymnist. While he has not yet written any hymns, with his Catholic background and his appreciation for Bach, we expect to see him try his hand at the style in the years to come.
Thanks to his youth, Julian could very well be an active composer for the majority of this century. We can’t wait to hear his development as he enters college and delves into the deepest, most experimental aspects of music composition.
