Born in Byblos in 1979, Philippe El Hage began studying music in Lebanon. In 2000, he earned a degree (DEUG) in French Literature from Saint Joseph University (USJ) in Beirut, before moving to Paris to complete his piano studies at the National Regional Boulogne-Billancourt Conservatory. He took advanced courses for three years at the National Regional Rueil-Malmaison Conservatory under Chantale Riou, winning the First Prize/Gold medal in the piano excellence class. In May 2005, thanks to his oriental piano improvisations, he was nominated for the Young Talents contest organized by the city of Paris (Prix Paris Jeunes Talents 2005).
After two years of advanced Piano Jazz courses at the Gabriel Fauré Conservatory under Francois Popineau, Philippe El Hage performed in Lebanon, France and Brazil in classical music and improvisation concerts. In September 2007, he released his first
album, “Byblos”, recorded in France, and went on tour with his new quartet, performing his own compositions – an original musical genre, open to the world, and reflecting his diverse influences: Jazz, classical harmony and oriental music. In December 2008, Philippe El Hage released his second album, “Sunday Afternoon”, recorded live in Beirut. In 2009, he travelled with French musicians to Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon for a series of concerts sponsored by the French Institute of Lebanon. After the tremendous success of his music tour, he was featured on the show “Bishaghaf” on Future television, which showcased his music career. In 2011, he released his third album, ‘’Flying with Elephants’’, under Swiss Jazz label Altrisuoni. Recorded in Lebanon, mixed and mastered in Switzerland, the album featured musicians from four different countries: France, Syria, Lebanon and
Switzerland. In 2012, Philippe El Hage became the host of a weekly educational television show about music, “Piano Plays” on MTV Lebanon, the first of its kind in the Middle East.
From June 2012 to May 2014, Philippe El Hage was the general manager of Yamaha Music Gulf’s Music Popularization/Yamaha Music School department.
Throughout his career, Philippe El Hage taught piano lessons to children and adults, wishing to convey his passion for the instrument. His twofold experience in classical music and Jazz allows him to approach different genres and styles with his students, as suited to the needs of each. He has hosted several conferences and workshops on musical improvisation, in particular piano improvisation, in Brazil, France and Lebanon.