BIOGRAPHY
I am one element of time registered since 1965...
As an entrepreneur, my journeys have taken me on paths of building companies, improvising piano sonatas, and existential phenomenological writings, among many others. Such journeys have continued to date, and with them the deafening sounds of destiny...
As I float through my ‘creative moments’ in time, their ‘hues’ and ‘spices’ resonate with my own existential paths, bringing both meaning and serenity to my life, and leading me at times, although faintly, closer to me, to Walid...
Walid R. Touma, PhD
Beirut, Lebanon
BOOKS
Published by Olympia Publishers - 2021. London, UK
For more information, click here
Hardcover: Published by Kluwer - 1993. New York, NY
Paperback: Published by Springer - 2012. New York, NY
MUSIC ALBUMS
| impromptus | ||
| opus 13 | birth | |
| opus 14 | requiem | |
| opus 15 | awakening | |
Composed and Produced by Walid R. Touma
Transcribed and Orchestrated by Paul Khalifeh
Mixed and Mastered by Elie Kallab
Copyright 2018 Walid R. Touma
| piano sonatas in C Major | ||
| opus 7 | birth | the fire |
| opus 8 | requiem | the fight |
| opus 9 | requiem | the fall |
| opus 10 | awakening | the rise |
| opus 11 | awakening | the resurrection |
| opus 12 | life | sweet moments |
Composed and Produced by Walid R. Touma
Edited and Mastered at Tunefork Recording Studios
Copyright 2012 Walid R. Touma
| piano sonatas in C Major | ||
| opus 1 | dance | |
| opus 2 | water | |
| opus 3 | madness | |
| opus 4 | tears | |
| opus 5 | smile | |
| opus 6 | look | |
Composed and Produced by Walid R. Touma
Edited and Mastered at Tunefork Recording Studios
Copyright 2012 Walid R. Touma
silence
As an entrepreneur, playing the piano has been a joy of emotional journeys, all while transcending time, moments, and life’s existential pains.
The first time Touma played the piano was in 1978, during the Lebanese war, at the Kadri Hotel in Zahle, Bekaa, Lebanon.
Touma never learned to read nor write musical notes.
For many years, the piano continued to be a faithful friend where simple melodies were played, without any true compositional depth. In 1991, while at the University of Texas at Austin finishing his PhD in Computer Engineering, Touma’s piano play morphed into compositions of complete musical pieces, fully improvised and tuned, without any musical structure within the classical norms, per say.
Such metamorphoses have continued to date.
Today, all of Touma’s compositions are totally spontaneous, without any possibility of replaying them, as Touma still cannot write down his music. In 2011, Touma decided to record such improvised sonatas and share them with friends and loved ones. And…Eternal Silence was born!
Beirut, Lebanon
2012
My life has been a recurrent series of births, deaths, and resurrections. Through it all, there is a fine thread of sweet moments that renders such cycles bearable, with all their existential pains and the deafening silence of destiny.
My Life is a reflection of such pains, rides, cycles, journeys…filled with soul searches that resulted in emptiness most of the time…only to find solace within the ‘sweet moments’ that spice up my musical compositions with a sweet lullaby.
And my life goes on, searching for a sweet moment to cling to, to smile at, to bask inside its tender energy…though for a fading and evasive instance in time, but oh so worth the hunt and the wait…
Beirut, Lebanon
2012
Throughout my life’s journey, I have gathered flowers of wisdom, of life’s beauty and higher meaning, flowers of existential pain, eternal silence, pure spirits …
My Flowers is a collection of those crafted ‘journey flowers’ where I share my experiences and wisdoms, all the while leaving room for exchange with the reader about both the truth and the meaning within each.
I bid you peace in your journey among the ‘flowers’, each with its own particular ‘hues’ and ‘spices’, and hope that you will find one which resonates with your own existential path …
Beirut, Lebanon
2014
To Memories…
Sweet Memories…
I paint my life with memories…
Often, the paint fades, and all that remains
Is the authentic state of each moment…
Thus is the music of this work’s impromptus.
Their orchestration captures the spirit of each improvisation,
rendering each musical moment eternal with its creative energy, its spark…
I am my memories…
my experiences…
my moments…
To each memory that awakens life… I smile...
Beirut, Lebanon
2018
of the Computer Industry:
Salvador Dali writes: “At three, I wanted to be a cook. At five, I wanted to be Napoleon. My ambition has been growing ever since, and now my ambition is to become Salvador Dali, nothing else. It is, nevertheless, very difficult, because the closer I come to Salvador Dali, the farther from me he goes.”
As you are reading these words, the computer industry is already in a new metamorphosis, a new cycle, a new era.
Such dynamics intrigued me.
It made me wonder and question how obsolete my knowledge is and what type of cycles I ought to follow to keep up with the industry’s roller coaster-like dynamics.
I am sure one might have to spend a lifetime trying to understand the self; incidentally, with the way the computer industry is mutating, I am sure a lifetime might not be enough.
Nevertheless, whether you are an artist/ scientist, an engineer, or an economist/analyst, I know you will find something in the book that will make you question what you already know, and what you should attempt at knowing better.
Enjoy.
Austin Texas
1993
My existential writings are about opening eyes, prodding one to enquire, to ask questions, to find answers… They are about a journey of enlightenment, of discovery, of self-awareness and acceptance…
Eternal Journeys captures moments in life, moments of introspection, of calmness, of peace, of rage and fury. Such moments, my moments, are all immersed with the will to share my existential struggle with a phenomenological approach, albeit in a minimalist way, but with the eternal screams of a terminal and vulnerable human being, a slowly vanishing dot in life…
I do hope that all the shared moments are enough to push the boundaries of both my spirit and yours, to transform our life and transcend our predicament… or better yet, to bow in peace and just be…
Enjoy the journey…
Beirut, Lebanon
2021
QOM...
Rise...
Awaken...
QOM is an exploration in the fundamentals of existence, understanding and facing the struggles of life, and moving beyond.
"Awakening your spirit heals your existential pain and, for certain, gives a higher meaning to your life, to being one with who you were born to be!"
QOM is a journey to awaken your spirit, to find your true potential, to let go of what is holding you back and just ‘be' as you reach inner peace.
"When you reach inner peace, all your current existential pains, including pains with the finality of ‘your time' on earth, will be appeased, and their effects on your life will be less dreadful and more manageable..."
During this journey, you will be supported and guided by The Voice, the higher self, the grounded self, as well as several evocative and inspirational short stories to help you awaken your spirit. The road to inner peace may be hard at first, but the end goal will be very much worth your while.
"What will it be then?" The Voice asked. "Will you begin the journey?"
QOM and Enjoy the Ride... Peace.
Beirut, Lebanon
2022