BEIRUT CHANTS : JAHIDA WEHBE ET LUCAS SAKR
Festivals16/12/2020 à 20:00
Jahida Wehbe
Named by the Arab and Western media ‘Priestess of the Stage and ‘Diva of the Orient’, she is the ‘Fighter for Genuine Art’, as the Great Wadih Al Safi once called her.
Jahida Wehbe graduated from the Lebanese university, majoring in psychology. She also holds a degree in oriental singing from the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music, where she has studied oud (the lute), opera in Arabic, Syriac and Byzantine chant, as well as, Qur’anic Tajweed. In addition, Jahida received a higher diploma in Acting and Direction from the Lebanese University, Institute of Fine Arts. She is a member of the Syndicate of Professional Artists in Lebanon and the French SACEM Society. She’s also held the position of Head of Culture and Programs Committee on the board of Lebanese Composers.
Jahida took major roles in many plays and movies in Lebanon and the Arab World, which obtained several awards in international festivals.
Moreover, Jahida has lectured about music, performance, elocution and Arabic poetry around the world and represented Lebanon officially in the most prestigious artistic and cultural conferences, and events, namely: Fes Festival, Mawazine Festival, spring of Culture (Bahrain), Jerash festival, Frankfurt’s Book Festival, IFD, Arab Music Festival (Opera Cairo), Arab Women's Excellence Forum (Istanbul) and many more...
Touring the world singing about Eastern musical heritage, love, earth, mankind, and the values of rightness and beauty, she’s been creating a special style of songs that suit her unique identity, and leaving her unique print on Arabic Oriental music with her one-of-a-kind voice. She has also had the privilege to sing works of great poets and authors, like Al-Hallaj, Rabia Al-Adawiya, Gunter Grass, Gebran, Lorca, Ounsi Al-Hajj, Said Akl, Neruda, Mahmoud Darwish, Abu Firas Al-Hamdani, Lamia Amara, Ahlam Mosteghanemi , Talal Haidar, Tagore, Adonis, Al Mutanabi, Ibn Arabi, Al khayyam, Al-Roumi and others.
Most notably, Jahida was selected in 2013 by Cambridge University in the UK, alongside 2000 outstanding intellectuals in this century, where her biography was included in the University’s renowned dictionary series. Jahida was also honored by the Arab Pioneers Festival sponsored by the Arab League as one of the pioneers in the field of art and culture in the Arab World. Most recently, she was recognized by the United Nations, ESCWA, as one of the most important singers in the Middle East, for her efforts to promote culture and authenticity through her work.
In addition, Jahida has produced soundtracks for a number of Lebanese films, participating in many plays and documentaries based on the biographies of Arab and international literary giants such as Gebran and Al Sayyab...
On another note, Jahida performed a set of songs in Paris by the iconic singer Edith Piaf during her centennial celebrations, to great acclaim, and is about to take the project on tour around the world. She has also recorded two new albums, between Prague, Belgium, France and Lebanon, released last summer, that added to her six previously released albums, most famous of which are” Katabtany” and “Shahd”. Her album "Psalms" was considered a noble message against the obscurantism, racism and triumph of man's humanity to whatever religion he belonged.
Jahida had a very successful concert in Muscat, at the Royal Opera House, with the Omani Symphony Orchestra led by Maestro Andreh Al-Hajj, who performed oriental music for the first time ever accompanying an oriental singer.
She also participated in two international projects, the first one took place in France / Rennes, where she sang without a microphone at the “A l'Unisson” concert with the British Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by more than 150 French chorale members led by Maestro Nader Abbassi. The second was "Opera Scheherazade" that was held in Tunisia, where she successfully played the role of Scheherazade and performed live with the Mediterranean Symphony Orchestra, with both Sousse and Opera Nice chorales, led by Maestro Samir Farjani.
Following her successful concert in the Baalbeck International Festival in summer 2017, Jahida recently returned to the Temple of Bacchus in 2019 to give three of the most successful concerts in the festival’s recent history, performing the most delightful Andalusian melodies "From Muwashahat to Flamenco" with the renowned musician Omar Munir and his band.
This year also, Jahida received the Munir Bashir Artistic Ingenuity Award, given by the great Munir Bashir's family, celebrating her life-long artistic accomplishments and musical ingenuity.
Lucas Sakr, Piano
Born in 1991 in Daichounie, Lebanon, Lucas Sakr started piano at the age of 5 and composed his first piece "Yasmina" at the young age of 15, which was performed by the Lebanese Oriental Orchestra conducted by the late Walid Gholmieh along with other compositions.Lucas is an alumnus of the Saint Joseph University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He has also acquired his diploma in solfeggio and higher studies in music theory, harmony and counterpoint from the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music where he is currently teaching and specializing in higher studies in Solfeggio. As a performer, Lucas has performed with many orchestras and artists of international caliber in Lebanon and abroad, such as in Salle de Ville - France, Les Orientales - France, Fes Festival - Morocco, Evora Festival - Portugal, World Sufi Spirit Festival - India, Sydney Opera House - Australia, Journée Mondiale des Jeunes (JMJ) - Poland, Lebanese Presidential Palace, Baalbeck International Festival.As a music arranger, Lucas has participated in Saint Rafqa Play for Georges Khabbaz along with Marcel Khalifeh, Charbel Rouhana, Khaled Mouzannar... under the baton of Sister Marana Saad. In addition, Lucas took part as music arranger in Cine Orchestre-Ehden and "Ella Iza" play for Georges Khabbaz at Baalbeck International Festival.Since 2017, Lucas has been working on the well renowned "Mazeej by Lucas Sakr" Project:music rearranging and mixing of famous tunes. In 2020, Lucas released his first digital album "Teb'a Zkerni" which was recorded in Romania by the Bucharest Studio Orchestra. Lucas Sakr currently resides in Beirut as a performing artist, composer and music producer.
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