Do you know who Yasmine Azaiez is? Let us introduce you. Her face is surely familiar to you — and as for her talent, what can one say? The whole world is clamouring for her at this very moment!
A virtuoso violinist trained at the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music and then at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Yasmine Azaiez brings together classical music and free improvisation. Now settled back in Tunis, she teaches at the Yasmine Azaiez Academy and gives concert after concert in aid of humanitarian and animal causes.
Who is Yasmine Azaiez?
A portrait of Yasmine: a vibrant presence
Yasmine Azaiez is a woman of vibrant presence. She radiates, almost in spite of herself, a passion that seems to come from another dimension. It is not every day that one meets someone truly prodigious. And in our gentle country, it is rarer still to come across one of unfailing humility. Elegant and slender, Yasmine is wrapped in a charisma made transcendent by its very simplicity. And when you see the integrity in her gaze and the honesty of her smile, you catch a glimpse of who she really is. Each of us is, in a sense, the sum of our experiences and the synthesis of our emotions; each of us is forever in the making. Today, discover who Yasmine Azaiez is.
How did her musical journey begin?
An exemplary academic path for a singular talent! It all began for her at the age of 4, when her mother bought her a tiny violin. The family lived in a small flat in London where there was no room for a larger instrument. She went to school as normal and took music lessons twice a week. Her teacher Helen Brunner, who taught her the violin using the Suzuki method, was the first to spot her potential. She had a conversation with Yasmine's mother, explaining that the budding little violinist had it in her to become a great violinist, if she were pushed to work at her gift every day. The teacher's words did not fall on deaf ears, and Yasmine's mother would do everything so that her daughter had wings and could one day spread them. She would be very strict with her child, who today tells us: "I can never thank my mother enough for being so demanding with me. Like all children, I wanted to come home from school and have fun. But my mother made me practise the violin. Without her, I would never have become who I am."
The Yehudi Menuhin School of Music: first steps towards greatness
At the age of 8, Yasmine Azaiez auditioned for a place at the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music, where 500 children had come to try their luck but only 5 of them were selected — Yasmine among them. She did not know it yet, but she had just achieved her first feat. It should be said that this is an establishment specialising in music education, located in Surrey, England (in Cobham, to be precise, for those who are curious); the school was founded in 1963 by one of the greatest violinists of the last century: Yehudi Menuhin. It takes in 60 pupils aged 8 to 18, all of whom play at an exceptionally high level on at least one instrument. Theoretical subjects are taught there, but the emphasis is above all on developing skills in classical music. It was a crucial stage in Yasmine's path. "It was an incredible experience," she recalls, full of gratitude. "We worked with the finest musicians, who came from all over the world to teach us: Vladimir Ashkenazy, Rostropovich… I took master classes with Zakhar Bron!" It was a boarding school cut off from the world, where the students devoted all their time to work. They were constantly surrounded by their tutors and teachers, so much so that if one of them did not understand something or ran into any difficulty, there was always someone among the older students to explain, to teach, or to correct… At this school, children are taught not only to perfect their art, but also to grow up well. It draws out in them a sense of rigour, of high standards, of independence, good organisation and the discipline needed to carry every project they undertake through to its goal.
Discovering new horizons at The New England Conservatory of Music
At the age of 18, Yasmine sat the entrance examination for The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, a highly renowned conservatory, and for her it was a revelation. She, who had always played classical music, learned that it was possible to take composition and improvisation classes. A new path opened up before her, and she took it without hesitation. Yasmine found herself in her element, and she tells us: "I have always improvised, I have always composed. But I had no idea I could make a career of it. I myself had a very classical conception of the violin. Most people see it as a stiff instrument, meant for an elite. I wanted to change that image and make it more contemporary. I also wanted to blend my musical influences: the ones I loved, the ones I had always listened to and the ones that resemble me most. I took jazz and world music classes. And I kept asking myself: how could I blend everything I have learned in my life and pass it on in the form of music, of compositions, of reworkings of pieces from the Tunisian heritage? I changed my course of study and I am almost tempted to say that I changed profession. Because there was a huge difference between orchestral music, improvisation and composition."
| Stage | Milestone along the way |
|---|---|
| Age 4 | First violin, a gift from her mother; beginnings with the Suzuki method under Helen Brunner |
| Age 8 | Admitted to the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music (Cobham, Surrey, England), out of 500 candidates |
| Age 18 | Admitted to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston; discovery of composition and improvisation |
| Return to Tunis | Founding of the Yasmine Azaiez Academy; Sunday lessons at the "Le Mondial" cultural centre |
How did Yasmine Azaiez win over the United States?
Yasmine Azaiez storming the heights of glory in the United States! She continued her studies in Boston and gave many concerts in New York. Her American years allowed her to break free and enrich her senses. She was able to change musical style and take new classes, all while pursuing her studies in classical music. Yasmine was hungry for music, and everything that could satisfy that hunger was within her reach. She wanted to know everything. She wanted to learn everything and become an accomplished musician. Her constant quest for excellence led the renowned teacher and guitarist Joe Morris to say of her in an article: "She is a classical virtuoso, and the greatest free-improvisation violinist I have ever heard." Two years ago, she returned to Tunis, her home city, to continue her career and pass on her art. She founded the Yasmine Azaiez Academy and taught violin at the "Le Mondial" cultural centre, where she gives lessons every Sunday to young violinists aged at least 14.
"She is a classical virtuoso, and the greatest free-improvisation violinist I have ever heard." Joe Morris, teacher and guitarist
Back to her roots: Yasmine's educational mission
Yasmine Azaiez is an attentive teacher with her pupils. She teaches musicality and stage presence. She teaches her pupils to set themselves free. Those who take Yasmine's classes do not do so only to learn the violin: with her, they progress and improve by developing their potential. Yasmine teaches them a new way of thinking, a new way of creating, of shaking off the conventions that confine them to rules imposed upon them. One day, she tells us, optimistic, my pupils will become my assistants and we will be able to give a greater number of classes. Because today, Yasmine teaches on Sundays only. From 9 in the morning until 8 in the evening. She gives individual lessons, each lasting 45 minutes. On the other days of the week, when she is not travelling, Yasmine writes and composes. Her work is meticulous and her writing prolific. In her head, she turns the arrangements over and over. The instruments graft themselves onto the bass line and her music takes shape and takes flight. She works with a Tunisian percussionist and a jazz drummer. A true citizen of the world, she loves blending influences. And wherever she goes, there is always the possibility of discovering the other. That is why she performs in Europe and in North and South America. The whole world vibrates to the sound of our national prodigy.
What are Yasmine Azaiez's humanitarian commitments?
Yasmine Azaiez is defined by her humanitarian commitments. Since her return, she has multiplied her humanitarian actions and organises concerts in aid of good causes. She tells us: "I am simply a musician trying to bring good music to people, to bring happiness to people, to the audience. I try to carry everyone into a dimension where all are united by a single emotion through my music. So how can I help make things better, help certain situations change? I try to use what I know how to do and to change the situations that strike me as unjust." And so, on learning that a village in Ain Drahem lacked access to drinking water, Yasmine organised a concert whose proceeds went to creating one. A commemorative plaque is engraved with the artist's name and her action. She does not merely make donations; she also follows the progress of the projects she cares about. She went back to the village to inspect the result and gave a concert for the villagers. Yasmine tries by every means to make it known that she wants to help and that she can help. She is loved by an audience that follows and supports her.
When Darna turned to her, Yasmine answered the call. This association creates homes for children with disabilities who cannot find adoptive families. And today Yasmine is its patron.
A passion for animal welfare
Yasmine has commitments where people are concerned, but she also cares about the fate of stray animals. She takes part in an initiative run by the municipality of La Marsa which consists of sterilising stray animals rather than culling them. The initiative is being talked about, and there is discussion of extending it across the whole of Tunisia. "It all began for me when I returned to Tunis. At night, I could hear the sound of gunshots. The next day, going out into the street, you could see the lifeless bodies left behind. What future are we promising our children, when we show them that it is normal to kill animals and to let their bodies decompose in the street? So I approached a vet, Doctor Walid Ben Mostfa, and told him I was ready to play concerts to help pay for the medicines needed to vaccinate stray animals and to sterilise them. And that is what we did. So I organised a concert, which went very well. Many donations were made as well."
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