
“What we are doing is a form of cultural resistance,” Chairman of the Byblos Festival Committee Raphaël Sfeir told L’Orient-Le Jour before the press conference held at the Byblos-sur-Mer Hotel on Wednesday, May 29, to announce the program.
“This 2024 edition continues the legacy of this international festival while considering the prevailing economic and political situation in the country and the region,” he said. “It also addresses the challenge of maintaining a diverse lineup of quality shows despite budget restrictions due to the absence of sponsors.”
Press conference participants, from left to right: Camille Abi Khalil, Wissam Zaarour, Raphaël Sfeir, Walid Nassar and Toni Makhoul. (Credit: Nabil Ismail)
Alongside Sfeir, caretaker Tourism Minister Walid Nassar, MPs for Jbeil (Byblos) Ziad Hawat and Simon Abi Ramia, Municipal Council President Wissam Zaarour, composer Toni Makhoul and Camille Abi Khalil, the representative of the digital music platform Anghami and co-organizer of the festival, emphasized the importance of maintaining these summer events that bring joy in the region.
“[Such events] are necessary for people attached to the culture of life,” said Nassar.
“There are five evenings on the Byblos festivities calendar, to which a sixth may be added, with musician Guy Manoukian, the date of which will be announced once the concert project has been finalized,” said Sfeir.
July 18: Toni Makhoul’s ‘Le Grand Spectacle’
To open this year’s festival, the organizers promised “an immersive experience” with Toni Makhoul’s “Le Grand Spectacle” It’s a huge production featuring “over 100 artists on stage, in a special performance full of fantasy and extravagance” by this home-grown composer, arranger and producer.
Makhoul made a name for himself with his concerts and choreographic performances combining different music and dance genres, including pop, tango, jazz, disco, waltz, salsa, samba and classical ballet.
Created in 2021 at the Bucharest Opera House in collaboration with the Romanian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Zuralia Orchestra, it will feature the same elements in the setting of the old port of Byblos (Jbeil), revisited with a new lineup of musicians from the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, a choir, singers and dancers, supported by artistic video projections on a giant LED screen.
This “special Lebanese edition” Grand Spectacle will also include tableaux celebrating Phoenician and Lebanese cultural heritage, dabkeh and a hymn in Arabic. It will be an evening for festival-goers of all ages.
July 19: Egyptian rock with Cairokee
Cairokee, an Egyptian indie rock band with a musical style similar to the Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila, was founded in the early 2000s. They became iconic during the 2011 revolution with songs that became true anthems of freedom, such as “Ya el-Midan” and “Sout el-Horeya” (“The Voice of Freedom”), whose video was filmed in Tahrir Square the day after former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s departure.
Led by Amir Eid, the band’s lead singer, these four rockers use their strong, emancipatory music to evoke the concerns of Egyptian youth and exalt their contemporary cultural demands, with a touch of Western influence.
This is evident in the video clip for their song “James Dean” and the single “Tarantino,” a collaboration with Marwan Pablo, a rising star on the Egyptian rap scene.
Their latest single, “Telka Qadeya” (“This is a Cause”), released on Nov. 30, 2023, barely two months after the start of the Gaza war, proclaims Cairokee’s support for the Palestinian people.
July 21: Michel Fadel and the choir
On the menu for the evening is a talented Lebanese pianist, composer and arranger, Michel Fadel, accompanied by a choir of 60 musicians and 50 choristers. They will passionately perform great works from the symphonic and choral repertoire and the most iconic English and Arabic hits of all time.
This combination, “the first of its kind in the region,” is the work of Fadel, one of the most popular figures in Lebanese orchestral music, renowned for his performances that often include piano improvisations.
Fadel has collaborated with many renowned artists, including Fairouz, Majida El Roumi and Julia Boutros. As an arranger and composer, he also has contributed to numerous personal albums. His work harmoniously blends traditional Arab melodies with modern arrangements, as seen in albums such as “Memories” and “Fly Solo.”
July 26: Arab pop icon, Nancy Ajram
Nancy Ajram, an emblematic figure in today’s Arab music scene, enjoys a remarkable reputation that extends beyond the borders of the Arab world. Her upcoming concert dates and venues are testaments to her global appeal: After her performance in Byblos on July 26, she is set to perform in Marbella, Spain on Aug. 8, and at the Palais des Congrès in Paris in November.
With a career spanning two decades, 12 albums and millions of fans, Ajram is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Initially dubbed the “Arab pop princess,” she has now been recognized as one of the “most influential artists in the Arab world” by the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Her music has consistently dominated the charts in the MENA region. Notably, she is the only Arab artist to have a song in Arabic feature on the US Billboard Dance chart. If you’re not yet acquainted with the repertoire of this “Arab pop icon,” attending her live performance presents the perfect opportunity to experience it firsthand, set against the backdrop of sea skies and starry nights.
July 27: Ash
After a successful debut in Batroun last summer, French-Egyptian musician Ash, who has developed a deep affection for Lebanon, returns this time to the Byblos Festival.
The 27-year-old multi-instrumentalist Ashraf Moawad is set to enchant an international audience with his oriental-influenced electro compositions. On the program will be “Mosaïque,” one of his tracks that has garnered significant attention online, along with “Worlds Apart,” “Give a Little,” “Daydream,” “Dans la peau” and “About Life,” among other captivating melodies that evoke a sense of wanderlust.
These performances will be accompanied by screenings of their respective music videos, filmed in his favorite cities: Paris and Cairo against the backdrop of the Pyramids of Giza, and Montreal, where he currently resides.
This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour and translated by Sahar Ghoussoub.