18th edition of Beirut Chants Festival to be held Nov 29-Dec 23
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 every note, 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.
At the festival’s opening, a tribute will be paid 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, the festival also celebrates 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, the festival will 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.
It will 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, the festival extends 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,” the organizers said.
“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,” they added.
“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,” the organizers said.
Micheline Abi Samra, the festival’s founder, said: “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.”
To book your seat and view the festival’s calendar: https://beirutchants.com/calendar/
Source: Naharnet
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