Marcel Khalife, Guy Manoukian and Melhem Zein joined the festival this year
Beirut, July 4, 2017 – Under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, the Amchit International Festival (AIF) committee in collaboration with the Municipality of Amchit unveiled the lineup of the second edition of its Festival for summer 2017. The program, spanning from August 23rd to 27th, blends music with art and entertainment. The conference, held at the Ministry of Tourism, was attended by the Minister of Tourism Avedis Guidanian, Representative of Minister of Culture Issa Zeidan, Mayor of Amchit Municipality Dr. Antoine Issa, President of the AIF committee Jo Younan, Marcel Khalife, Guy Manoukian, and members of press.
“Festivals are prospering Lebanon’s tourism sector. In today’s new era of increased security, safety and political stability in Lebanon, the Ministry of Tourism will strive to restore Lebanon’s position on the tourism map as a key destination in the Middle East region,” said Minister of Tourism Avedis Guidanian. “We will work tirelessly to achieve this objective through the support of a significant contribution from the 2018 budget as we pursue a fresh approach,” he added.
“The first edition which was the building block turned out to be a great success to present the best within international standards in the upcoming edition,” said Jo Younan, President of the AIF committee and Collection Cars Parade organization. “Festival-goers will be looking forward to basking in a rich program starring special activities and concerts that will light up the sky with fireworks and decorate the waterfront with awe-inspiring colors thanks to the well-thought-out lineup that combines international standards with local taste,” added Younan.
Over a span of five days, the waterfront of Amchit will host top artists from Lebanon and the world. The Festival kicks off on August 23rd with composer, singer and Oud player Marcel Khalife in his hometown who undertook the issues of Lebanon and its people for decades though his music and lyrics. He will be accompanied by his son, Soloist Rami Khalife on the piano along with musicians from Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music and Saint Rafka Institute Choir, conducted by Maestro Fadi Yaakoub.
Commenting on his participation, composer, singer and oud player Marcel Khalife beautifully stated: “I return today like an ancient sailor to Amchit’s waterfront to tell my story. We come together in a dream believing that we will be able to triumph over the deepest of monsters. I concede, it is true that we were forced to grow up, not allowed to mature slowly at our own pace. We lost sight of age and found ourselves, suddenly, grown-up. Today, I return to my own village like a bird filled with joy. I come flying in with my music and the rain songs to land on the night of the 23rd of August in Amchit International Festival”.
On August 24th, Guy Manoukian, the master of instrumental music will celebrate his 25 years in the music industry performing a selection from his uniquely beautiful music collection – both old and new – mixing between Western and Oriental sounds.
On August 25th, the third day of the festival, singer Melhem Zein will take the stage to perform the songs of his new album live for the first time in concert. on August 26th, the Festival will feature the exotic sound of Tutti Frutti by Elefteriades – targeting the youth and those who love Western and modern music. The band will be performing their nicest music including BILAL – the Arab Gipsy Prince, SABREEN – American Pop Soul Funk, ROCK – Tribute to Bob Marley, YOARIS & JORGE LUIS – Latin, CHEB MAJID – Raï.
The Festival will conclude on August 27th with “Collection Cars Parade” which became an annual event for classic and rare cars lovers to gather and share their passion, charmingly connecting the past with the present on the corniche of Amchit – a national touristic landmark.