Saturday October 25

BAABDATH NEW CHURCH
(Google Maps: Les Musicales de Baabdath)


Performance starts at 8 PM
Free Admission
No tickets/No reservations
First come first seated
500 seats
Doors open at 7:30 PM
Latecomers will not be allowed in unless performance has an intermission
Children under 6 years old are not admitted
Concert hall is wheelchair accessible (not restrooms)

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After the performance, and weather permitting, audience is invited to enjoy a glass of wine and simple bites, courtesy of Pillars boutique winery and Les Chapiteaux.

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Optional transport by bus or by taxi

Click to learn more…

Concert Partners

PROGRAM

SARY KHALIFE

Born in Lebanon, Sary Khalife enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician, studio artist, and
composer. He began his musical journey with the piano at the age of five. By seven, he had switched his focus to the cello, studying under Professor Sarkis Kochkarian at Beirut’s National Conservatory.

Demonstrating exceptional talent, Sary achieved his baccalaureate at the age of 15 and subsequently performed as a soloist with the Lebanese National Symphonic Orchestra. At an early age, he relocated to France to further his education, starting at the CRR in Boulogne-Billancourt, where he studied under Xavier Gagnepain and achieved unanimously the first prize in 2008.

He continued his studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse de Paris in 2011, under the tutelage of renowned cellists such as Rolland Pidoux, Xavier Phillips, Marc Coppey, and Pauline Bartissol. By 2016, he had earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in solo cello performance. Additionally, Sary ventured into the world of improvisation, receiving instruction from Alexandros Markeas and Vincent Lequang.

Since 2004, Sary has been a member of the prestigious West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, under the world-renowned conductor, Daniel Barenboim. His talent led him to broaden his collaboration by joining the Divan Ensemble, a chamber music group led by Michael Barenboim. They have toured together across Europe on several occasions, performing at notable venues such as the Philharmonie de Paris, Vienna Konzerthaus, London’s Royal Albert Hall, and Paris’s Salle Pleyel.

Sary has furthered his orchestral career by holding a position with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg from 2017-2019, and collaborating with the Orchestre National de Metz, as well as the Orchestre de Mulhouse, among other ensembles and orchestras across France and Europe. In 2013, he performed Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in collaboration with Ayad Khalife and Karim Saleh, supported by the Qatar National Orchestra under the baton of Michalis Economou.

Notably, Sary recently embarked on the ambitious “Popper Project,” recording an album dedicated to the 40 études of Popper. For this venture, he joined forces with luminaries in the French musical cello scene, including Jerome Pernoo, Edgar Moreau, Francois Salque, Ophelie Gaillard, Julien-Laferrière Victor, and Xavier Gagnepain.

Sary’s discography also features albums like “Naseej” (2014) in partnership with Ayad Khalife and Mike Massy, and “Soobia” (2018) co-composed with Ayad, which won the AFAC Award.

Over the years, Sary has collaborated with leading figures in the music world, including Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Gustave Dudamel, John Nelson, Jacques Lacombe, Marko Letonja, Giuliano Carella, Constantin Trinks, Michalis Economou, Nader Abbassi, Marco Guidarini, and more. His compositions, such as “Till We Meet Again” and “Monologue,” highlight his diverse musical abilities.

Beyond his performance career, Sary has a strong interest in supporting music education for children. Since 2021, he has actively participated in the Philharmonie de Paris’s ‘Démos’ project as a member of a 10-musician team, visiting Abu Dhabi to collaborate closely with local educators in teaching children and establishing a youth orchestra.

AYAD KHALIFE

Ayad KHALIFE began learning the piano at the age of 5 at the National Conservatory of Lebanon in the class of Narine ABRILIAN and later Angela HADICHIAN. He brilliantly obtained his piano license diploma at the age of 15. Between 1998 and 2005, he regularly performed in concerts, auditions, and recitals with his twin brother, cellist Sary KHALIFE, as part of events organized by institutions such as the National Conservatory of Lebanon and the AL-BUSTAN Festival.

At the ages of 13 and 15, Ayad distinguished himself as a soloist with the Lebanese National Philharmonic Orchestra, performing the Second Concertos of KABALEVSKY and MENDELSSOHN. In 2004, he won the 3rd prize at the 6th International Piano Competition in Morocco (chaired by France Clidat), before winning the 1st prize at the Margot BABICKIAN Piano Competition in Beirut the following year.

In 2006, Ayad joined the Conservatory of Boulogne-Billancourt in France, where he continued his piano studies with Paul-André GAYE and chamber music with Hortense CARTIER-BRESSON. He obtained his chamber music diploma with honors. In 2010, he unanimously won the 1st prize in piano with jury congratulations and obtained his National Professional Diploma of Musician (DNSPM) as well as a musicology degree three years later. At the same time, he explored jazz with Damien NEDONCHELLE and deepened his experience in chamber music with Jérôme VOISIN, while joining Vincent LÉ QUANG’s improvisation class.

A passionate educator, Ayad obtained his State Diploma in piano teaching at the CFEDEM of Poitou- Charentes in 2015 and has been teaching at the Olivier MESSIAEN and Albéric MAGNARD conservatories in Évry (CRD d’Evry) ever since.

Throughout his career, Ayad KHALIFE has performed on prestigious stages such as the Place des Arts Theater in Montreal, the Barbican Hall in London, the National Convention Center in Doha, and the Grand Palais in Paris. His rich repertoire includes Beethoven’s and Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, as well as Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, performed alongside his brother Sary KHALIFE and violinist Karim SALEH with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Michalis ECONOMOU.

A prolific composer, Ayad released his first album “Naseej” in 2014, in collaboration with Sary KHALIFE and Mike MASSY. This album, inspired by Lebanese folklore, jazz, spiritual poetry, and Sufi music, contains nine original compositions. “Naseej” was produced by the International Festival of Zouk Mikaël and premiered during its summer season.

In 2017, he unveiled his orchestral suite “ESQUISSES” with the Lebanese National Philharmonic Orchestra, while the piano solo reduction of this work was performed in 2014 at the Salle Cortot in Paris.

In 2018, his second album “SOOBIA,” co-written with his brother Sary and produced by AFAC and Nagam Records, blends jazz, oriental music, and classical music. Acclaimed by critics, the album was presented in renowned venues such as the Opera Theater of the City of Culture in Tunisia, the Roman Amphitheater of Zouk Mickael in Lebanon, and the Al-Hambra Theater in Geneva.

In 2021, he collaborated with Sary KHALIFE and singer Jahida WEHBE for the album “SALT & SHADOWS,” a project combining poetry and instrumental improvisations, showcasing works by poets such as Mahmoud Darwish, Fernando Pessoa, and Anna Akhmatova.

In 2024, Ayad paid tribute to the legendary group Queen by composing a musical fresco for orchestra and choir. This work, performed by the USJ Choir and the JML Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Yasmina Sabbagh, brought together nearly 140 musicians on the stage of the Casino du Liban, offering a personal and scholarly reinterpretation of Queen’s musical legacy.

Currently, Ayad is on a break to work on releasing his latest album with Sary, and they are in the recording phase.

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