In Solidarity with Beirut

Theatre de la Ville and Oslo World present a solidarity concert in Paris on October 4th, with Yasmine Hamdan, Bachar Mar-Khalifé and Haïg Sarikouyoumijan. The recordings from the concert in Paris will play a central part in the opening concert of Oslo World on October 27th. All proceeds from the concert will go to a fund created by Theatre de la Ville, Oslo World, Beirut & Beyond International and Tunefork Studios, that aims to strengthen the Lebanese music scene, in difficult times.

Over the years, the people of Beirut have had to endure war, terror, political incompetence and corruption. But the city has survived, as a vital cultural center in an area haunted by troubles, both from within and outside. The explosion in the city's port area on August 4 this year, which killed at least 190 people and left 300,000 people homeless, and which laid large parts of the city center in ruins, is perhaps the biggest challenge yet. The country is in the middle of a huge economic crisis, in a deep political crisis, and Covid-19 is making the reconstruction work following this tragic disaster an almost impossible task.

In many ways, it might seem premature to talk about the city’s cultural scene right now, but in the longer run, Theatre de la Ville and Oslo World, feel a special responsibility in supporting the music scene of Beirut. The fundraiser campaign that is released Friday 18th will last until the 1st of November 2020 and funds collected will help strengthen the Lebanese music scene on 4 main pilars:

· Commissioned works

· Recordings

· Design and distribution of music

· Live performances in Lebanon

To create activity, the fund has set itself four purposes:

Innovation: A committee consisting of local and international members will select musicians and producers to create. Beyond the premise that it is new material, these practitioners are completely free to create what they want.

Production: Part of the funds from the campaign will go to the production and studio recording of the music. Beirut & Beyond and Tunefork will create a list of sound technicians and studios based in Lebanon that artists can choose from to record and mix the work.

Distribution: In collaboration with labels and streaming platforms, the finished works will be released digitally, with a favorable share to the artists. In collaboration with Sacem, B&B will offer support to the artists to register to insure collecting copyrights and royalties . Local graphic designers and promotional workers will be hired to work on design and distribution.

Live performance: Part of the support will go to the venues, which have been without activity since February 2020. The plan is a concert program that starts in January 2021, and which books local artists.

The committee will consist of Racha Salah (cultural consultant), Soudabeh Kia (Theatre de la Ville, Paris), Tarek Yamani (composer and musician), Lara Khoury (Consultant MENA), Khyam Allami (artist and composer) and Alexandra Archetti Stølen (Festival Director, Oslo World) and Yasmine Hamdan (artist).