Singer, songwriter, performer, student. These are some of the great many things that make up senior Hamline student Alia Abboud. For some, performing is a lifelong passion and this music major is certainly no exception. After performing at LynLake Brewery only a few short weeks ago, Abboud graciously sat down to discuss her past and future in performing.

“My mom teaches piano and voice out of our house so I started piano lessons from super young and have been singing for basically ever,” Abboud explained.

On top of that, she has played the cello for the past 12 years and the guitar for seven. Though she really loves and appreciates classical music, as none of the music we have today would have been created if not for the creation of those famous tunes, she performs primarily folk and alternative music, while also writing some music of her own. Some of her favorites include: ‘Hotel California’ by The Eagles, ‘Rolling in the Deep’ by Adele and ‘Back to Black’ by Amy Winehouse. “But really, as long as I can sing along to it, I’ll perform it,” stated Abboud.

Senior Max Hohlen has known Alia since their first year at Hamline, when they lived on the same floor and discovered their common love of performance. They frequently had spontaneous jam sessions in their RA’s room, and later played at Hamline events such as Relay for Life and the Big Bash.

“We love to perform ‘Vultures’ by John Mayer as well as ‘Sittin on the Dock of the Bay’ by Otis Redding. Alia has an amazing voice! I love how she is comfortable being in front of people. We’ve developed a wonderful relationship through our time in choir and our various jam sessions as well as our performances,” Hohlen explained. Abboud has also been known to perform at Thursday’s Music in the Forum with Max along with another student, Taylor Seaberg.

Not only does Abboud play a huge role in the Hamline community by performing in the A Cappella Choir, along with the previously mentioned events, but she is also the president of the Francophone (or French) club, and member of the Orchestra and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. Though she is soon to graduate, Abboud believes that music will always be a part of her life. She doesn’t have concrete plans in place quite yet for the next year, but she hopes to teach English to middle and high school students in France for about seven months until she figures out what she’d like to do next. In the mean time, Abboud is preparing for her senior recital on April 24 in Sundin Music Hall, along with another performance at Relay for Life the following day and a spring performance at LynLake Brewery.

“As long as I can take my guitar with me, I’ll always be able to perform, no matter what the future holds. I’ve always had a structured way to do music, now I’ll just have to be creative with how I do it.”