Every city beats to its own rhythm, a pulse that shifts with the tides of time and circumstance. Yet Beirut’s rhythm is unlike any other. It rises from the depths of its being: from the echoes of its music, the life of its streets, and the spirit of its people, those who, despite all, refuse to let its song fall silent.
This year, Beirut Chants reawakens the city’s natural rhythm, a heartbeat long waiting to be heard. For when music flows through a city’s heart, it restores balance to its soul. It reminds us that, no matter how different our voices or how separate our paths are, we endure together,
held by the same rhythm of life And yet, even as we hold on to the promise of continuity, a quiet helplessness lingers, returning year after year.
With a small circle of devoted volunteers, we face the impossible time and again, striving to keep alive a space
that asks for nothing and gives so much.
A space where we, and thousands of Lebanese, can listen, dream, and breathe in beauty, where joy is no longer measured by money, but by the simple grace of being moved. Unfortunately, we still walk this path alone.
Were it not for the steadfast commitment of the private sector, the generosity of our supporters, the friendship of those who believe in culture, and the contributions of several embassies, this festival’s song might have fallen silent long ago.
Beirut Chants has never been, and will never become, a political project nor a personal endeavor. Perhaps this is precisely what keeps it so close to the hearts of those who see culture as an act of faith, as a quiet devotion to beauty and belonging. And so, with deep sincerity, I extend my gratitude to:
Mr. and Mrs. Kamil and Rhona Saba
Arab Bank Switzerland
Mr. Khaireddine El Jisr
Mr. Akram Safa
Mr. And Mrs. Saadallah and Lubna Khalil
Solidere
Isabelle and Philippe Hélou
Tamari Foundation
Arabia Insurance
Ici-Beyrouth
Africell
The Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute
The Spanish Embassy
Beirut Municipality
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Beirut
The Australian Embassy
BML Istisharat
MIDIS Group
The European Union
The Swiss Embassy
SNA
Bank of Beirut
Warde
The Lebanese American University (LAU)
The Antonine University
Masri Holding
Tinol
The Belgian Embassy
MAN Enterprises
The Cypriot Embassy
The Polish Embassy
MEA
Citea
Telemuniere
The American University of Beirut (AUB)
This year, the festival coincides with the visit of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to Lebanon, a visit that carries within it a profound message of coexistence. A message we have been living, not merely speaking, for eighteen years.
For we did not set out to create a music festival. We sought to create an open space, a sanctuary where people can meet beyond labels and divisions, where they can rediscover what unites them without being asked to resemble one another.
Through its evenings, open to all, where church hymns meet Sufi chants, where music embraces spirituality and sound becomes prayer, the festival mirrors a Beirut that finds richness in its diversity, beauty in its differences, and a space for healing, harmony, and hope in its music.
And as we launch Beirut Chants this year, the city itself carries a deep longing for Ziad Rahbani, whose music has never faded, whose values have never wavered, whose art has never surrendered to compromise.
We offer no tribute for display, for he was never a man of spectacle. Instead, we dedicate this edition to his spirit, the spirit that taught us that music is a value that cannot be traded, and it is not a possession but a truth; that what is born from the heart endures, and what is sincere forever finds its echo.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to the press and media for your unwavering support.
Thank you.
Micheline Abi Samra
Founder
SEASON 18
Beirut returns, as it does each year, both a destination and a sanctuary —a place where the prayer of calling meets the call of prayer, where beauty is not only sung but becomes itself a song.
Voices rise in devotion, and instruments spill melodies like candles casting their glow across the eighteenth edition of the Beirut Chants Festival.
Over the years, Beirut Chants has grown into a welcoming home for distinguished choirs and musicians from around the world, while celebrating the steadfast and radiant presence of Lebanese artists.
In this harmony, the festival fulfills its mission: to weave unity through music, embracing the richness and diversity of our society as both a treasure and a gift.
Today, in its eighteenth year, the festival has become deeply ingrained in the very fabric of Beirut, an enduring pulse within its cultural and spiritual identity. Eighteen years of sound and light, of layered creation and shared experience, have shaped Beirut Chants into a living reflection of the city itself: a town that rises from the rubble, offering its music to the world, even when so much has been taken, a city whose resilience and beauty are carried in everynote, every melody, every voice.
The very presence of the festival in this city, after all these years, is an act of faith, an insistence that Beirut still holds the power to gather us
around beauty and meaning. It breathes symbolism back into places, confidence back into people, reminding us that culture can be the first spark of renewal.
The voice that began eighteen years ago still resounds, expanding, evolving, and igniting hope in a city that needs hope now more than ever.
Despite the crises entwining Lebanon and the shadows that weigh upon its days, placing its people before the hardest of trials, culture remains a lifeline, pulsing with vitality and hope.
When the horizon fades, music and art open like a window of light. From the heart of the rubble, voices rise again, lifting the nation toward its own renewal, proclaiming that Lebanon still knows how to shape beauty from its fractures, and that it was born to resist with light, never with darkness.
What sustains the continuity of this festival is not only faith in its mission but the unwavering resolve of its president, whose steadfastness insists that this gathering must live on despite every obstacle.
Through her tireless work, unshaken commitment, and unwavering vision, Beirut Chants has preserved its excellence, integrity, and soul.
To her, we offer our gratitude, for the voice that rises from Beirut each year to illuminate Christmas would not have reached the world without her belief that culture is the first spark of renewal, and that beauty can still be born, even in the darkest night.
How fortunate we are that Lebanon continues to welcome such exceptional ensembles and artists, each carrying their light to this land.
At the festival’s opening, we pay tribute to one of the great pillars of French music, Camille Saint-Saëns, marking the one hundred and ninetieth anniversary of his passing through one of his timeless masterpieces, the Christmas Oratorio.
It will be performed by the choirs of Antonine University and Notre Dame University–Louaize, joined by distinguished international soloists and led by Father Toufic Maatouk.
On the same evening, we also celebrate the genius of Mozart with a performance of his radiant opera, "Davide Penitente." The festival will also welcome the gifted violinist Abigaila Fustina, accompanied by pianist Costantino Catena, in collaboration with the Antonine University Chamber Music Season.
On another evening, the renowned Cremona Quartet will grace the stage, in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute. The program continues with pianist Krzysztof Książek, a multiple award-winner at the International Chopin Piano Competition, presented in collaboration with the Polish Embassy.
From Belgium, and in cooperation with the Belgian Embassy, we are honored to host the distinguished duo of violinist Yossif Ivanov and pianist Philipp Ivanov, laureates of the First Prize at the Montreal International Competition and winners of the Second Prize at the Queen Elisabeth
Competition in Brussels.
The festival also welcomes violinist Leticia Moreno, accompanied by pianist Josu de Solaun, in a refined evening presented in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy, bringing the vibrant spirit and color of Spain’s musical tradition to Beirut.
We also host cellist Emanuel Graf alongside pianist Teo Gheorghiu, in partnership with the European Union Delegation, offering an encounter where sensitivity meets mastery.
This season, we extend a heartfelt tribute of gratitude to all those who have illuminated our path through the years: The St. Romanos Choir, the Stephanus Byzantine Choir, the Notre Dame University Choir, Ghada Shbeir, the Philokalia Choir, the Fayha National Choir, Mario Rahi, Bechara Moufarrej, Marc Reaidy, Matteo El Khodr, and Firas Andari, Along with new collaborations with Solistes de Beyrouth; each a voice, a note, a presence that enriches the living harmony of Beirut Chants.
The participation of children’s choirs continues, affirming the belief of Beirut Chants that music is not merely an art, but an act of shaping and building, a foundation for a gentler, brighter society. It is an education of generations born into light, not into darkness.
In the end, Beirut Chants is more than a festival, more than a date on the city’s cultural calendar. It is a place of encounter, a moment of prayer, a point of light extending from the heart of darkness. It reminds Lebanon that its beauty can still bear fruit, that its voice can still be heard. Here, where art meets faith and music meets meaning, we reaffirm a truth untouched by time or crisis: that culture in Lebanon is not an ornament at the margins, but a necessity of life, a breath through which we reclaim our right to joy, to hope, and to dream. And so, the festival opens its chapter this year, opening, at the same time, a window onto all that is yet to come.
For the voice of Beirut will continue to sing, as long as this city holds a beating heart, and as long as there are voices to lift beauty like a prayer above all that seeks to silence it.
Fr. Toufic Maatouk
Artistic Director
Beirut Chants El Sistema is the music education arm of Beirut Chants for the Lebanese youth. We have had a fantastic 2025 so far, having performed in Nahr El-Kalb in February to crown our partnership with the US Embassy in Beirut, which supported us over two years and helped
Beirut Chants launch this initiative. We followed that with our first concert and visit to old town Saida in April, and in June, a concert for the First Lady and her guests at the Presidential Palace and welcoming the President and First Lady for the opening of Beirut Souks. Beirut Chants El-Sistema also performed at the Roman Baths and at the launch of Maison de L’Artisan for the Ministry of Social Affairs, and this coming Wednesday, we will be at the LAU Campus for the Regional UNESCO conference on Education in Emergencies in the Arab Region. We are also honored to be performing at the December 1st Inter-religious gathering for Pope Leon IVX in Martyr Square.
Fifty years ago, in the barrios of Venezuela, El Sistema
was born. It offered marginalized youth a path away from
violence and despair by immersing them in the
transformative power of music. Its innovative model,
where group learning replaces traditional one-on-one
lessons, and where more advanced students support and
guide the less experienced. El Sistema has evolved into a
global movement with profound educational and social
impact.
Two and a half years ago, Beirut Chants embraced this
vision, launching Beirut Chants El Sistema to provide free
group music instruction to Lebanese youth. Most of our
teachers are themselves young musicians, creating a
powerful cycle of mentorship and growth. The results are
nothing short of remarkable, as many of our young
performers had never sung or played an instrument before
joining us. They come together every Saturday from
across Lebanon, and we have already performed more
than 18 concerts nationwide, notably in Tripoli, Anjar,
Becharreh, Douma, Deir El-Kamar, and many other
locations.
We are proud that our youth will appear in the 18th season
of the Beirut Chants Festival this December, for the third
consecutive year. As the educational arm of Beirut
Chants, we strive to nurture homegrown talent and enrich
the festival’s legacy with the voices and instruments of
Lebanon’s next generation.
Over the past two years, we have been privileged to
partner with UNESCO to promote social
cohesion—bringing together young people from diverse
communities and strengthening resilience in
conflict-affected areas through the healing power of
music and art.
The motto of El-Sistema is simple yet profound: “Music for
Social Change.” How deeply honored we are to live that
motto and to share with you the extraordinary promise of
our youth.
Richard Azouri
Beirut Chants El Sistema Director
Saturday, 29 November
Opening Concert – Beirut Chants
C. Saint-Saëns – Oratorio de Noël, Op. 12
Celebrating the 190th Anniversary of
Camille Saint-Saëns
W. A. Mozart – Davide Penitente
Antonine University Choir & Notre
Dame University Choir
Fanny Soyer, Soprano
Jean Miannay, Tenor
Lebanese Orchestra
Toufic Maatouk, OAM — Conductor
St. Joseph Church, Monot — 20:00
Sunday, 30 November
Abigeila Voshtina, Violin
Alberto Ferro, Piano
In collaboration with the Chamber
Music Season – Antonine University
Our Lady of Seeds Church, Antonine
University, Baabda — 20:00
Tuesday, 2 December
Quartetto di Cremona
Cristiano Gualco, Violin
Paolo Andreoli, Violin
Simone Gramaglia, Viola
Giovanni Scaglione, Cello
In collaboration with the Italian
Cultural Institute
St. Joseph Church, Monot — 20:00
Thursday, 4 December
"For Our Sake Is Born a Young Child"
Hymns from the Nativity
St. Romanos The Melodist Choir of
Beirut
Rev. Romanos Joubran — Conductor
St. George Orthodox Cathedral, Beirut
— 20:00
Friday, 5 December
Krzysztof Książek, Piano
Multi-award laureate, International
Chopin Competition
In collaboration with the Polish
Embassy in Beirut
St. Maron Church, Gemmayzeh —
20:00
Saturday, 6 December
Yossif Ivanov, Violin
Philippe Ivanov, Piano
First Prize, Montreal International
Competition
Second Prize, Queen Elisabeth
Competition
In collaboration with the Belgian
Embassy
St. Maron Church, Gemmayzeh —
20:00
Sunday, 7 December
Opening of Beirut Souks
Antonine University Choir
Beirut Souks — 19:00
Tribute to Umm Kulthum
Firas Andari
Assembly Hall, AUB — 20:00
Monday, 8 December
Cindy Latty sings Wadih Al-Safi
Cindy Latty — Oud & Vocal
Assembly Hall, AUB — 20:00
Tuesday, 9 December
Fayha National Choir & Ziad El
Ahmadie
Barkev Taslakian — Conductor
St. Maron Church, Gemmayzeh —
20:00
Wednesday, 10 December
Ghada Shbeir & Imam Sadr
Foundation School Choir
St. Elie Church, Kantari — 20:00
Thursday, 11 December
Influences
Mario Rahi, Violin
Fabio Centanni, Piano
Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts
(ALBA), Sin El Fil — 20:00
Friday, 12 December
Sacred & Festive Harmonies
Bechara Moufarrej, Tenor
Notre Dame University Choir &
Orchestra
Fr. Khalil Rahme — Conductor
St. Joseph Church, Monot — 20:00
Saturday, 13 December
Leticia Moreno, Violin
Josu de Solaun, Piano
In collaboration with the Spanish
Embassy
St. Maron Church, Gemmayzeh —
20:00
Sunday, 14 December
Joseph Tawadros
In collaboration with the Australian
Embassy
St. Elie Church, Kantari — 20:00
Monday, 15 December
Bechara Moufarrej, Tenor
Gulbenkian Amphitheater, LAU, Beirut
— 20:00
Tuesday, 16 December
St. Stephanos the Melodist Choir
Alain Osta — Conductor
St. Elias Melkite Greek Catholic
Cathedral, Beirut — 20:00
Wednesday, 17 December
Matteo El Khodr, Countertenor
Marc Reaidy Baz, Tenor
St. Elias & St. Gregory the Illuminator
Armenian Catholic Cathedral, Beirut —
20:00
Thursday, 18 December
Emanuel Graf, Cello
Teo Gheorghiu, Piano
In collaboration with the European
Union Delegation
St. Maron Church, Gemmayzeh —
20:00
Friday, 19 December
An Operatic Christmas
Les Solistes de Beyrouth
Fernando Afara — Conductor
James Alexander — Piano
Carine Séchaye — Mezzo-soprano
St. Elie Church, Kantari — 20:00
Saturday, 20 December
The Creation — Haydn Reimagined in
Light of the Incarnation
Philokalia Choir & Orchestra
Nadine Nassar, Soprano
Bechara Moufarrej, Tenor
S. Marana Saad — Conductor
St. Joseph Church, Monot — 20:00
Sunday, 21 December
Beirut Chants El-Sistema
Youth Orchestra & Choir
St. Maron Church, Gemmayzeh —
20:00
Monday, 22 December
Noëls du Monde
La Chanterie de Beyrouth
St. Michel Church, El-Nahr — 17:00
Makram Aboul Hosn — “Twilight
Circle”
Marie Abou Khaled: Vocals
Tom Hornig: Alto Saxophone
Nidal Abou Samra: Tenor Saxophone
Joe Khoury: Tenor Saxophone
Makram Aboul Hosn: Double Bass
Tarek Yamani: Piano Pavlo Wardini:
Drums Samer Afif: Percussion
Assembly Hall, AUB — 20:00
Tuesday, 23 December
Closing Concert
Marie-Joe Abi Nassif, Mezzo-soprano
Lebanese Orchestra
Toufic Maatouk — Conductor
Assembly Hall, AUB — 20:00
