Al Fayha Choir Brings "A Moment of Joy to a Country in Flux"

Al Fayha Choir

Hard economic times did not prevent a large crowd of Zaki Nassif music-lovers from gathering at Assembly Hall on March 29. They came to AUB from all over the country to attend the annual fundraising concert celebrating Zaki Nassif's national heritage by the Tripoli-based Al Fayha Choir. The concert was organized by the Zaki Nassif Music Program at AUB to raise funds to sustain and develop the program.

After the projection of video recordings of Zaki Nassif's work, the emcee for the evening, Lebanese poet Henri Zogheib spoke of the international success of the Al Fayha Choir.

"Their singing brings a moment of joy to a country in flux," said Zogheib, a close friend of the choir and a major supporter of the arts in Lebanon.

An a cappella group, the Al Fayha Choir performed for nearly two hours, delivering an eclectic mix of twenty-three songs and compositions culled from the repertoires of Zaki Nassif, as well as those of various musicians like the Rahbani brothers. The final piece on the program, "Zahrat Al Madain" (The flower of the cities) was a polyphonic and yet peaceful mix between Muslim and Christian chants and hymns.

An alumnus of AUB, Nassif had a deep sense of commitment and patriotism, unequivocally present in the works he produced, many of which were composed during the last three decades of his life. Lebanon's long internecine war was remembered in the concert, namely in "Lubnan Al Jareeh" (Wounded Lebanon) and "Tallou Hbabna Tallou" (Our loved ones have returned), which celebrates the return of Lebanese expatriates from abroad.

The choir, conducted by Barkev Taslakian, was founded in 2003 and is sponsored by the urban community of Al Fayha and the Beddawi areas in north Lebanon. In addition to awards of appreciation from the Lebanese and Armenian ministries of culture, the choir recently won the Best Choir and Best Conductor first prizes at the International Warsaw Choir Festival in 2007.