CHARBEL ROUHANA & MELHEM ZEIN
July 26, 2019 - 8:30 pm

After the huge success of last year’s show, Charbel Rouhana returns to Byblos graced by one of the most talented and genuine Lebanese voices, Melhem Zein.
A one-of-a-kind musical journey from Byblos to Sevilla and back, this new creation, deeply rooted in Andalusian Arabic music, will be performed for the first time at Byblos Festival.

BIOGRAPHY CHARBEL ROUHANA

Lebanese composer, singer and musician, Charbel Rouhana is one of the few masters who shaped the Arab lute and its techniques. In 1990 he won the first prize of the Hirayama Competition in Japan for Best Composition entitled “Hymn of Peace”, in 2000 he won the “Murex d’Or” as the Musician of the year, in 2007 he conducted and arranged the BBC3 World Music Awards winning Album of 2007 “ Al Muwashahat” and in 2011 he was selected to participate at the Babel Med musical forum. Rouhana has composed various compositions for the famous dance group “Caracalla” and has performed with Marcel Khalife at numerous concerts and tours. Other musicians he has accompanied include stellar names such as Fairuz and Magida El Roumi.

In 2007 he formed the Beirut Oriental Ensemble and Rouhana established a new method in playing the Oud. This method was published in seven volumes and was adopted by the National Conservatory of Music in Lebanon and the Faculty of Music in the Holy Spirit University, where he has been teaching since 1986.
The reputation of Charbel Rouhana and his international performances have made him an ambassador for Lebanese and Middle Eastern music: Festival Francophonies Métissées (Paris, 2001), Oud Festival (Tetwan, Morocco, 2000), Festival Novart (Bordeaux, France, 2003), Concert with Satoru Shionoya Unit (Tokyo, 2004), World Expo 2010 (China), Jazz Festival (Dubaï, 2010), International Beirut Jazz Festival (Beirut, 2010).

His versatility has allowed him to not be restricted by his oriental roots; instead he continuously offers his audience concerts something new that is open to improvisation. For his unique performance at Byblos International Festival, Rouhana will be teaming up with one of the Arab world’s most popular singers: Melhem Zein.

BIOGRAPHY MELHEM ZEIN

Having started performing at a very young age, Melhem Zein participated in numerous competitions where he found success. With appearances on television shows where he would showcase his talent, Zein began his first steps into the music industry.

Following the launch of his 2 first albums in 2004 (“Ente Msheete”) and 2006 (“Badde hebbik”), Zein then signed with Rotana in 2008 and his career began flourishing even more. Since then in addition to his 5 studio albums, Zein has also participated in numerous international festivals taking place in the Middle East and has sold out headline shows across Europe and the U.S allowing his fan-base to grow all around the world.