EVENTS
2024 | Monteverdi Vespers
Tickets on sale on Virgin Ticketing Box Office
A full week of Italian early music consisting of free masterclasses, lectures, and recitals all over Lebanon, culminating in a grand final concert, bringing together Italian artists and Lebanese musicians, students, and music lovers. The final concert will feature one of the gems of Italian heritage: Claudio Monteverdi's "Vespro della Beata Vergine”. This piece – never performed in Lebanon before and very rarely performed in the world – requires specifically-trained vocal soloists and period instruments (that do not exist in Lebanon).
MISSION
Education: The Festival’s mission is to educate the Lebanese audience and striving musicians to Italian early music heritage. The educational process will include open conferences, masterclassesand workshops.
Accessibility: The public will be able to enjoy free recitals for a week, all over Lebanon, making it accessible to different audiences. Early music is rarely performed in Lebanon, and this week will be an excellent opportunity to attend different concerts of this style and genre.
Cultural Exchange: Bringing together Italian musicians and soloists, the USJ Choir and Lebanese musicians to jointly perform Monteverdi's masterpiece "Vespro della Beata Vergine," is so enriching on both a musical and human level.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
The Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra
CREDITS
Yasmina Sabbah | Conductor
2024 | Symphonic Rock
Tickets can be purchased from the Virgin Ticketing Box Office, at Virgin Megastores, or online via this link.
“Symphonic Rock” is a groundbreaking concert experience that brings together the power of rock and the grandeur of a symphony orchestra. The concert will feature a selection of well-known rock classics of legendary rock bands such as Queen, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Bon Jovi, and other rock icons, reimagined and transformed with our own original symphonic arrangements by composers Ayad & Sary Khalifé and Vincenzo De Filippo.
With more than 100 artists live on stage, witness the epic merge of Rock and Symphonic Music, as the USJ Choir and JML Symphonic Orchestra unite with a powerhouse Rock Band, with Soloist Kristian Abouanni, under the baton of conductor Yasmina Sabbah.
More information here.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
The Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra
CREDITS
Yasmina Sabbah | Conductor
2024 | the sacred music of poulenc
Tickets can be purchased from the Virgin Ticketing Box Office, at Virgin Megastores, or online via this link.
In celebration of Saint-Joseph University’s 150th anniversary, the USJ Choir will present a unique program featuring one of the biggest icons of 20th century music: Francis Poulenc.
His style features a unique duality between his deep faith, and a strong sense of fun and fantaisy. Poulenc wrote his Stabat Mater, a hauntingly passionate work, after visiting the sacred shrine of the Black Madonna of Rocamadour, a journey tjay has profoundly changed his life and work as a composer. He once told an interviewer that he had put ‘the best and most genuine part of myself’ into his sacred music. The Gloria, on the other hand, displays unmistakable freshness and vivacity.
What sets Poulenc apart is his ability to create music that is simultaneously playful and profound, light-hearted and deeply emotional. His melodies often possess a charming simplicity, yet beneath the surface lies a complexity that engages both the mind and the heart. Poulenc's harmonic language features unexpected twists and turns, creating a sense of surprise and intrigue for the listener. Additionally, his use of dissonance and unconventional tonal colorings adds a touch of modernism to his compositions. Overall, Poulenc's musical style is characterized by its versatility, wit, and impeccable craftsmanship, making him a truly distinctive figure in 20th-century music.
More information here.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
The Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra
CREDITS
Yasmina Sabbah | Conductor
2024 | COLORS OF INDIA
Brace yourselves and be ready to be blown away with “Colors of India”, a concert of crossover music between Indian and Western styles to promote peace, dialogue, and innovation!
This concert will feature unique crossover music between Indian and Western classical styles to promote peace, dialogue, and innovation! The program will include Reena Esmail’s new composition “This Love Between Us” as well as the greatest movie hits of Oscar-Winning Composer AR Rahman, re-arranged uniquely for Choir and Orchestra. The USJ Choir will perform alongside Grammy-recognized Sitarist Asad Khan and Tabla player Sahil Khan coming all the way from India.
PROGRAM:
Part 1 | Reena Esmail, This Love Between Us
This Love Between Us is a piece about unity. Its seven movements juxtapose the words of seven major religious traditions of India (Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Jainism and Islam), and specifically how each of these traditions approaches the topic of unity, of brotherhood, of being kind to one another. The text is set simultaneously in English and in its original language. Each movement also contains a unique combination of Indian and Western classical styles, running the continuum from the Christian movement, which is rooted firmly in a baroque style, to the Zoroastrian movement, which is a Hindustani vilambit bandish. Each of the other movements live somewhere in between these two musical cultures in their techniques, styles and forms. But even more than uniting musical practices, this piece unites people from two different musical traditions: a sitar and tabla join the choir and baroque orchestra. Each of the musicians is asked to keep one hand firmly rooted in their own tradition and training, while reaching the other hand outward to greet another musical culture.
Part 2 | Greatest movie hits by Oscar-Winning Composer AR Rahman
A.R. Rahman has completed over 100 film scores since 1992. His soundtracks have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide, making him one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. He has won fourteen of India's Filmfare awards (the equivalent of the American Oscar) for his music, and his first two Academy Awards and Grammy Awards in 2008 for the music for the British movie Slumdog Millionaire which includes the song "Jai Ho". We will be performing some of his greatest movie hits, with our own unique arrangements for choir and orchestra!
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
The Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra
CREDITS
Asad Khan | Sitar
Sahir Khan | Tabla
Yasmina Sabbah | Conductor
2023 | ROOTS IN OUR HANDS FROM SPAIN AND LEBANON
Purchase your tickets here.
A musical dialogue taking place between several Spanish and Lebanese musicians conceived by Spanish artist Nacho Arimany, who knows Lebanon well. Under the direction of Maestra Yasmina Sabbah, the concert will feature Lebanese singer Fabienne Daher and the Université St Joseph Choir, as well as a performance by a flamenco dancer from Spain.
“Roots in our Hands” is a colorful and moving journey where sound and movement become the expression of freedom and liberation. This open dialogue between traditional Spanish / flamenco music and Arabic music will immerse the audience in the roots of millennial cultures. This original creation, which highlights the cultural exchanges that the Baalbeck Festival strives to encourage, is organized in partnership with the Spanish Embassy.
2023 | Beethoven: Missa solemnis
“From the heart—may it again—go to the heart!” Beethoven inscribed these words in the manuscript of his mighty Missa solemnis, one of his last and largest compositions. His initial motivation was to honor his friend, student, and patron, Archduke Rudolph, who was to be installed as Archbishop of Olmütz in March 1820. But the project grew in proportions and Beethoven missed the deadline by several years. He added that the Missa solemnis is the “greatest work I have composed so far.” Even allowing for the facts that Beethoven was telling this to a publisher and that in 1822 he had not yet composed the Ninth Symphony and the last string quartets, his declaration must be taken seriously. The Mass is Beethoven’s largest and longest composition (except for the opera Fidelio), and yet at times also one of his most intimate and personal. He inscribed in the manuscript: “From the heart—may it go to the heart!” Its gestation took more than four years and came at a crucial juncture in Beethoven’s career. As the aging and deaf composer increasingly withdrew from society, he created a musical testimony that is one of the supreme expressions of personal belief.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
The Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra
Members of the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra
CREDITS
Benedicte Tauran | Soprano
Sofia Pavone | Mezzo Soprano
Bechara Moufarej | Tenor
Alexandru Constantin | Bass
Yasmina Sabbah | Conductor
2023 | Black ALley
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ (Université St. Joseph de Beyrouth)
Orchestra
JML Quartet (Jeunesses Musicales du Liban)
2023 | NEXT STOP: BROADWAY
Celebrate the best of Broadway with NEXT STOP: BROADWAY! A choral musical tour of the most iconic musical productions, featuring the USJ choir with over 70 members, the Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra, conducted by Yasmina Sabbah, and guest performances by acclaimed vocalists Manel Mallat and Kristian Abouanni.
Embark on a choral journey that takes you through the magic of Broadway's timeless classics and modern-day masterpieces. From Mary Poppins to Aladdin, Les Misérables to The Lion King, The Little Mermaid to The Greatest Showman, travel with us through the world of musical productions of what is still the world’s biggest musical and theatrical global phenomenon.
Tickets: https://www.ticketingboxoffice.com/next-stop-broadway-tickets/group/883/en
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ (Université St. Joseph de Beyrouth)
Orchestra
JML Orchestra (Jeunesses Musicales du Liban)
CREDITS
Yasmina Sabbah | Conductor
Manel Mallat | Soloist
Kristian Abouanni | Soloist
Produced by Cats Production
2022 | African Sanctus
African Sanctus” by composer and collector of world music David Fanshawe is a piece that has received international acclaim. It is a celebratory and visionary work, expressing unity between people, their faiths and above all, their music. African Sanctus is an unorthodox setting of the Latin Mass harmonized with traditional African music recorded by the composer on his now legendary journeys up the River Nile (1969-73). The taped music from Egypt, Sudan, Uganda and Kenya is heard in counterpoint with the live chorus, soprano soloist and instrumental ensemble. The work is composed of 13 movements and reflects geographically the composer’s cross-shaped pilgrimage, from the Mediterranean to Lake Victoria, whereby Kyrie represents Cairo and Sanctus Northern Uganda. This wonderful work juxtaposes multimedia, ethnic instruments, and choral singing united for a message of love and peace.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
The World Percussion Ensemble:
Nacho Arimany
Arturo Stable
Mathias Künzli
CREDITS
Lisa Mostin | Soprano
Vartan Agopian | Piano
Raffi Mandalian | Guitar
Makram Aboul Hosn | Bass
Christelle Njeim | Timpani
2022 | 100 ans de mélodies
For the celebration of its 150th anniversary, the Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital presents a concert that travels through a century of melodies and songs, featuring the greatest hits of French, American, English and Arabic classics. All proceeds go to the Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital Social Fund.
Tickets on sale at Antoine Online.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
CREDITS
Cynthia Karam
Kristian Abouanni
2022 | Firdaus Orchestra
A pioneering women’s musical ensemble developed exclusively for Expo 2020 Dubai with the regions first female Conductor Yasmina Sabbah under the patronage of Oscar-Winner A.R. Rahman.
2022 | HAYDN, Cäcilienmesse
Known as the “Father of the Symphony” and considered one of the legendary “Viennese Classical Trinity” alongside his friend Mozart and his pupil Beethoven, Joseph Haydn is one of the most prominent and important composers of Viennese classicism. After his promotion to Kapellmeister at the Esterházy court, Haydn began composing his most extensive sacred work, the monumental Missa Cellensis in honorem Beatissimæ Virginis Mariæ (Mass for Mariazell in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary), rising to take its place alongside the most notable and important liturgical compositions of the Viennese tradition.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra
CREDITS
Paula Jeckstadt | Soprano
Sofia Pavone | Alto
Haitham Haidar | Tenor
Simon Duus | Bass
2022 | Firdaus Orchestra at Expo DUBAI - CLOSING CEREMONY
A pioneering women’s musical ensemble developed exclusively for Expo 2020 Dubai with the regions first female Conductor Yasmina Sabbah under the patronage of Oscar-Winner A.R. Rahman.
For tickets and more information: https://www.expo2020dubai.com/en/calendar/events/19%20sep%202021/firdaus%20orchestra
2022 | Firdaus Orchestra at Expo DUBAI - Celebrating International Women’s Day
A pioneering women’s musical ensemble developed exclusively for Expo 2020 Dubai with the regions first female Conductor Yasmina Sabbah under the patronage of Oscar-Winner A.R. Rahman.
For tickets and more information: https://www.expo2020dubai.com/en/calendar/events/19%20sep%202021/firdaus%20orchestra
2022 | FIRDAUS ORCHESTRA AT EXPO DUBAI - Stories of inspiration
A pioneering women’s musical ensemble developed exclusively for Expo 2020 Dubai with the regions first female Conductor Yasmina Sabbah under the patronage of Oscar-Winner A.R. Rahman.
For tickets and more information: https://www.expo2020dubai.com/en/calendar/events/19%20sep%202021/firdaus%20orchestra
2022 | Firdaus Orchestra at Expo Dubai
For the EXPO "Travel & Connectivity" week, join the the Firdaus Orchestra on a great voyage with an eclectic program from great symphonic works, to contemporary and oriental compositions. The second part of the concert will feature guest soloist, the one and only Anoushka Shankar - the 7 Grammy Awards nominated British-Indian-American sitar player!
Watch live on: https://virtualexpodubai.com/listen-watch/events/firdaus-orchestra-featuring-a-r-rahman-feb6
For tickets and more information: https://www.expo2020dubai.com/en/calendar/events/19%20sep%202021/firdaus%20orchestra
2021 | Misatango
The Chœur de l'USJ and the JML Orchestra, under the baton of Yasmina Sabbah, are thrilled to kick off the festive season with a sensational tango program featuring the Lebanese premiere of MisaTango by Argentine composer Martín Palmeri. This composition is a daring mix of sacred music (sometimes reminiscent of baroque polyphony) and tango! All the ordinary of the Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei) is sung, but with a syncopated and energetic dance groove. The work features the bandoneon, the emblematic instrument of tango, performed by our guest Italian musician Pasquale Lancuba. The symbiosis between sacred music and Latin American tones and the unconventional combination of "Tango" rhythms and classicism creates unique music full of passion and intense emotions.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
Les Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra
credits
Lara Jokhadar | Soprano
Trio de la Sombra:
Mario Rahi | Violin
Pasquale Lancuba | Bandoneon
Vincenzo de Filippo | Piano
2021 | Firdaus Orchestra at Expo Dubai
A pioneering women’s musical ensemble developed exclusively for Expo 2020 Dubai with the regions first female Conductor Yasmina Sabbah under the patronage of Oscar-Winner A.R. Rahman.
2021 | Firdaus Orchestra at Expo Dubai - the international day of tolerance
A pioneering women’s musical ensemble developed exclusively for Expo 2020 Dubai with the regions first female Conductor Yasmina Sabbah under the patronage of Oscar-Winner A.R. Rahman.
2021 | Firdaus Orchestra at Expo Dubai debut performance
A pioneering women’s musical ensemble developed exclusively for Expo 2020 Dubai with the regions first female Conductor Yasmina Sabbah under the patronage of Oscar-Winner A.R. Rahman.
2021 | Firdaus Orchestra at Expo Dubai opening ceremony
A pioneering women’s musical ensemble developed exclusively for Expo 2020 Dubai with the regions first female Conductor Yasmina Sabbah under the patronage of Oscar-Winner A.R. Rahman.
2021 | Grant us peace
Grant Us Peace is a concert tribute to those we lost to war, killings and injustice. The center piece of our program features Vaughan William’s Dona Nobis Pacem — Latin for “grant us peace”— a mesmerizing piece that combines poems by Walt Whitman, a speech to British Parliament, and passages from the bible. This work is a cry for peace, in which the composer takes us on a journey from the horrors of war to a universal plea for world peace, all messages pertinent and vital in today’s Lebanon. While it was written as a warning before World War II and a plea not to repeat the carnage of previous wars, its message of harmony and reconciliation amidst chaos and violence is what we need most during these uncertain and difficult times. Lebanon has endured a bloody and violent 15-year civil war and a series of violent events leading to the August-4 explosion. Though our bloody past has not been forgotten, and while peace may still be far, we have no choice but to dream for it. The recurring prayer “grant us peace” haunts the entire work, finally triumphing over the terrors of war which are explicitly described in Whitman’s poems. The second part of the program features choral works by French composer Gabriel Fauré - set on the words of big French poets and writers like Victor Hugo, Robert de Montesquiou and Armand Silvestre – carrying on with the message that love is truly what we need.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
The Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra
credits
Julie Martin du Theil | Soprano
Philippe Nicolas Martin | Baritone
Chadi Zein | Art and Stage Director
2020 | A Time of Gratitude
This concert is a fundraiser for the COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers of Hotel-Dieu de France Hospital, who have been on the front lines this entire year, working tirelessly to take care of COVID patients and saving lives after the August explosion that shook our country. Because of their sacrifices and heroism, we are able to stand strong. Because of them, we are still here. And because of them, we are able to sing and give back what we can in gratitude and appreciation.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
Les Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra
credits
Gabriela Eibenová | Soprano
Grace Medawar | Mezzo-Soprano
Marco Angioloni | Tenor
Mohamed Haidar | Bass
2020 | There will always be light
This concert is a fundraiser for the Lebanese Food Bank, a non-profit organization which fights to overcome hunger by developing effective feeding programs. In these challenging times, we proudly stand in solidarity with Lebanon and actively help our community by raising funds through music.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
Les Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra
credits
Marie-Josée Matar | Soprano
Grace Medawar | Mezzo-Soprano
Rani Ayrouth | Tenor
Cesar Naassy | Bass
2019 | Messiah
Handel’s Messiah, originally intended as an Easter offering, has become one of the most iconic oratorios and often performed during Christmas with its exquisite arias, unforgettable choruses, and exquisite Baroque flourish. This performance was featured as the closing concert of the Beirut Chants Festival, Season 12.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
Les Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra
credits
Marie-Josée Matar | Soprano
Matteo El Khodr | Countertenor
Haitham Haidar | Tenor
2019 | Music from 19th and 20th century Britain
A Cotswold Romance is a cantata adaptation of Vaughan Williams's 'ballad-opera' Hugh the Drover highlighting the chorus. Writing to his librettist, the journalist Harold Child, in 1910, he said: “I have an idea for an opera written to real English words, with a certain amount of real English music”. This idea of vernacular is carried our in Elgar’s “From the Bavarian Highlands” which consists of six poems, written by his wife Alice, depicting a place they had visited on holiday in southern Germany.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
The Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra
credits
Marie-Josée Matar | Soprano
Ruairi Bowen | Tenor
Fady Jeanbart | Baritone
2019 | St. John Passion
St John Passion is one of the most iconic masterpieces of choral music in which Bach sets to music the Passion of Christ as told in the Gospel of John. The piece was first performed at Vespers on Good Friday in Leipzig. This concert will feature a narration in French by Etienne Kupelian in between the movements.
Choir
l'Ensemble Vocal Baroque de l'USJ
Orchestra
Les Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra
2019 | Un Hommage aux Compositeurs Libanais
This concert is a tribute to Lebanese composers. The concert includes orchestral works by Bechara El Khoury, Naji Hakim, Iyad Kanaan, Georges Tomb as well as a commissioned concerto by Vartan Agopian
Orchestra
Les Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra
credits
Vartan Agopian | Piano
2018 | Nelson Mass
The Missa in Angustiis (Mass for troubled times) or Nelson Mass (Hob. XXII/11), is one of fourteen masses written by Joseph Haydn. It is one of the six masses written near the end of his life which are, together, now seen as a culmination of Haydn's liturgical composition.
Choir
Le Choeur de l'USJ
Orchestra
Les Jeunesses Musicales du Liban Orchestra
2018 | Membra Jesu Nostri
Membra Jesu Nostri is a cycle of seven cantatas, as a meditation on the body of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The music clearly expresses the suffering of christ through a contemplation of Christ’s body on the cross starting with his feet and moving up to his knees, hands, side, breast, heart and finally his head.
Choir
l'Ensemble Vocal Baroque de l'USJ
Orchestra
Soloists from the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra
CREDITS
Sergio Bermudez | Theorbo
Marie-Josée Matar | Soprano
Matteo El Khodr | Countertenor
Rani Ayrouth | Tenor
Roger Abinader | Bass