The poster for the Concerts of Baabdat festival in May 2025.
New spring and new hopes. The Concerts of Baabdat chose to accompany these changes with an unprecedented series of three concerts during May. This new edition is defined as a relay, in the heart of Baabdat, as a prelude to the next season in October. The festival marks a special edition focused on a close collaboration with the Amman Chamber Orchestra (ACO), with whom the festival has continued to forge ties since the 2022 season.
This edition highlights the talent of young Lebanese musicians, among the most gifted of their generation, whose journey is often marked by many years of training at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music.
"A successful academic journey before life scatters them to the four winds," said Sleiman Corbani, director of the concerts. "Many had to expatriate, driven by the fractures of a country wounded by conflicts and a persistent economic crisis. The festival celebrates these promising trajectories in a spirit of resilience and hope."
True to its commitment, the festival offers the three concerts with free admission. They will take place in Baabdat in the parish hall of the new church on May 17, 21 and 24.
The opening concert on Saturday, May 17, features instrumental oriental music on the program, and highlights the traditional "takht sharqi." The Middle Eastern music ensemble of the Amman Chamber Orchestra, composed of six exceptional young musicians, including two Jordanians and four Lebanese, will pay tribute to the works of great Arab and Lebanese composers in a typical formation with the sounds of violin, nay, qanun, oud, cello, and oriental percussion.
The concert on Wednesday, May 21, will be presented by a string ensemble composed of 13 young Lebanese professionals, some of whom are from the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music. They will present a program of romantic music ranging from Mendelssohn's "String Octet," through Bizet, to Albéniz, De Falla, and other Spanish composers. A concert in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy in Beirut and the Mon Liban d'Azur collective.
The closing concert on Saturday, May 24, will honor the piano trio of the Amman Chamber Orchestra with Smetana's "Piano Trio." The trio will be joined in the second part of the concert by other ACO members to perform Schumann's "Piano Quintet."
"We are delighted with the partnership with the Amman Chamber Orchestra and especially the pianist Karim Said, the ACO's principal conductor, artist in residence at the Lebanese Conservatory and associate member of the Royal Academy of Music-London. As well as Ihab Jamal, ACO's first violin and head of the oriental section, and Jana Semaan, first cellist of the same Jordanian orchestra. All three are behind the relentless organization of a two-week stay in Baabdat," stated Corbani.
Round-trip transportation is planned from Beirut and Jounieh in collaboration with Nakhal. All concerts start at 8:00 p.m. sharp, without a reservation. Seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. Children under six years old will not be admitted. The hall can accommodate up to 600 people.
The complete program and much more practical information are available on the Concerts of Baabdat website: www.lesmusicales.org.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
