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The unique feature of the Terra Sancta Organ Festival is that it is being held at the churches and shrines of the Holy Land and in the locations where the Franciscan Friars of the Custody of the Holy Land have been active for centuries: Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria.
The Terra Sancta Organ Festival is one way to bear witness to the presence of the Christian communities in the Middle East and the Levant in the field of music and culture. Here, organ music is a superior artistic contribution perceived as specifically Christian, the pipe organ being present almost exclusively inside churches. The festival is also an opportunity to promote the maintenance of organs and the study of this instrument, necessary for the liturgy.
The concerts take place in churches, but all are welcome, regardless of their religious affiliation: the Terra Sancta Organ Festival represents, in fact, one of the rare occasions in the Middle East and the Levant in which one can listen to the sound of a pipe organ outside of its normal liturgical context.
Program updated to 7 March 2023
ORGAN & MUSIC FESTIVAL RHODES
RHODES – Church of St. Francis
All concerts at 8:00 pm – Admission free
Tuesday 4 October 2022
Organ Recital
Matteo Francesco Golizio, organ (Italy)
In collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture in Athen
Thursday 6 October 2022
Voice, Choir and Organ Recital
Rania Panagiotou, soprano (Athens, Greece)
Chris Paraskevopoulos, organ (Athens, Greece)
Vocal Ensemble and Mandolin orchestra of the City of Petaludes
Flora Pelekanou, conductor(Rhodes, Greece)
Saturday 8 October 2022
Organ Recital
Stelios Daniilidis, organ (Athens, Greece)
Sunday 9 October 2022
Organ Recital
Eleni Keventsidou, organ (London United Kingdom – Athens Greece)
*****
HOLY LAND PIPE ORGAN WEEKS
All concerts are at 6:00 pm – Admission free
Mészáros Zsolt Máté (Hungary), organ
Nazareth, 31 October 2022, Basilica of the Annunciation
Tel Aviv-Yafo, 1 November 2022, Church of St. Peter (Old Jaffa)
Jerusalem, 3 November 2022, Church of St. Saviour (New Gate)
Bethlehem, 4 November 2022, Church of St. Catherine at Nativity
In collaboration with the Embassy of Hungary in Tel Aviv and the Representative Office of Hungary in Ramallah
Cosimo Prontera (Italy), organ – Giuliana Mettini (Italy), soprano
Tel Aviv-Yafo, 8 November 2022, Church of St. Peter (Old Jaffa)
In collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv
Cristina Struta (Romania), organ
Nazareth, 9 November 2022, Basilica of the Annunciation
Jerusalem, 10 November 2022, Church of St. Saviour (New Gate)
Bethlehem, 11 November 2022, Church of St. Catherine at Nativity
In collaboration with the Romanian Cultural Institute
Giulio Mercati (Italy), organ
Tel Aviv-Yafo, 15 November 2022, Church of St. Peter (Old Jaffa)
Nazareth, 16 November 2022, Basilica of the Annunciation
Jerusalem, 17 November 2022, Church of St. Saviour (New Gate)
Bethlehem, 18 November 2022, Church of St. Catherine at Nativity
In collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv and the Italian Cultural Institute in Haifa
*****
HAIFA PIPE ORGAN SEASON
Hecht Museum Auditorium
in cooperation with “Organ lovers in Israel at the Treasures of the Jewish Music Association”
All concerts at 11:00 am
28.10.22 Yuval Rabin (Israel)
11.11.22 Karel Martinek (Czech Republic) – In collaboration with Czech Center – Tel Aviv
09.12.22 Yuval Rabin (Israel) – 200 Hundred years for C. Franck
13.01.23 Alessandro Bianchi (Italy) – In collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute – Haifa
10.02.23 James Welch (USA)
10.03.23 Zsolt Garai (Romania) – In collaboration with the Romanian Cultural Institute
14.04.23 Rodolfo Bellatti (Italy) In collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute – Haifa
12.05.23 Monty Benet (USA)
09.06.23 Yuval Rabin (Israel)
Tickets: 60 shekels
Annual subscriptions: 250 shekels
*****
ORGAN & MUSIC FESTIVAL SYRIA 2022
Friday 4 November at 6:00 pm:
DAMASCUS: Church of St. Paul in Bab Touma (Deir El Kabir)Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679 – 1745): Missa Omnium Sanctorum. Ensemble Classica conducted by Missak Baghboudarian
Monday 7 November at 8:00 pm:
DAMASCUS: Damascus Opera House
Classical organ recital by Juan De La Rubia (Spain)
Thursday 10 November at 8:00 pm:
DAMASCUS: Damascus Opera House
Great concert for organ and orchestra with Silvio Celeghin (Italy) and the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Missak Baghboudarian
Saturday 12 November at 5:00 pm:
DAMASCUS: Church of Sant’Anthony in Salhieh
Concert with Silvio Celeghin (Italy), organ, Rasha Abu Shuker, soprano, Marla Sehnawi, flute, Dulamah Shehab, trumpet.
Monday 14 November at 8:00 pm:
DAMASCUS: Damascus Opera House
Organ improvisation on classical and Syrian melodies by Michael Koller(Austria), with Kenan Adnawi, oud.
Thursday 17 November at 7:00 pm:
LATAKIA: Church of the Sacred Heart:
Organ improvisation by Michael Koller (Austria) on “Passion and Resurrection of Christ” from the silent film The King of Kings (1927): world first Arabic translation of captions.
Saturday 19 November at 7:30 pm:
ALEPPO: Church of St. Francis
Classical organ recital by Michael Koller (Austria); with the participation of the “Ensemble Classica”.
*****
JORDAN: Amman
Amman – Terra Santa Cultural Center
Thursday, 16 March 2023 at 7:00 pm – Admission Free
“THE KING OF KINGS” (1927)
a silent film on the Passion of Christ
with a musical performance by FAUSTO CAPORALI (Italy),
organ improvisation and musical commentary
In collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Amman
****
SOL FESTIVAL
(Semaine de l’Orgue au Liban | Lebanese Pipe Organ Week)
19 – 26 March 2023
All concerts start at 8 p.m. Admission free
Sunday, 19 March
BEIRUT | National Evangelical Church
AXEL FLIERL (Germany), organ and GEORG HIEMER (Germany) trumpet
In collaboration with the German Embassy in Lebanon
Tuesday, 21 March
MAYSSRAH | Church of St. Elie – Carmelite monastery
film-concert “THE KING OF KINGS” (1927): a silent film on the Passion of Christ
ANTONIO DI DEDDA (Italy), organ improvisation and musical commentary
In collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Beirut
Wednesday, 22 March
BEIRUT Gemmaizeh | Collège des Frères, Sacré-Coeur
ANTONIO DI DEDDA (Italy), organ
In collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Beirut
Thursday, 23 March
AJALTOUN | Church of Mar Zakhia
Concert of the OUTSTANDING ORGAN STUDENTS of the Notre Dame University School of Music
In collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Beirut
Friday, 24 March
BEIRUT Kantary | Church of St. Elie
Hymnos Vocal Ensemble (Philokalia Institute), conducted by SISTER MARANA SAAD (Lebanon)
VICTOR CONTRERAS (Mexico), organ
Saturday, 25 March – event for the National Feast of the Annunciation
BEIRUT | American University of Beirut (AUB) Assembly Hall
Les Solistes de Beyrouth conducted by FERNANDO AFARA (Lebanon)
YVES LAFARGUE (France), organ
In collaboration with the French Embassy in Lebanon
Sunday, 26 March
ZOUK MOSBEH | Church of the Notre Dame de Louaize monastery –
REV. PEDRO ALBERTO SÁNCHEZ (Spain), organ and CHRISTELLE NJEIM (Lebanon), percussions
In collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in Lebanon
San Francesco e il Sultano
St. Francis and the Sultan
القديس فرنسيس والسلطان
Opera in four parts
Libretto: Bartolomeo Pirone
Music: Fr. Khalil Rahme
Orchestration: Fadi Taouk
Produced by the Custody of the Holy Land with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute in Beirut and Pro Terra Sancta.
Technical sponsor: Noursat / Telelumiere.
Watch it on YouTube
Join us to watch the concerts live streaming below:
6 p.m. – Jerusalem, Athens, Rhodes, Cyprus, Damascus, Amman, Beirut
5 p.m. – Roma, Berlin, Wien, Bern and Central European Time
4 p.m. – London, Dublin, Lisbon
12 p.m. – Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires
11 a.m. – EST
10 a.m. – CT
9 a.m. – MT
8 a.m. – PT
WATCH MORE CONCERTS ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL http://www.youtube.com/c/TerraSanctaOrganFestival
OR FACEBOOK PAGE https://www.facebook.com/TerraSanctaOrgan/
Terra Sancta Organ Festival
Custodia Terrae Sanctae
Memorial of Moses
Mount Nebo Siyagha
Faysaliyah – P.O.B. 217196
Madaba JORDAN
e-mail: organfestival@custodia.org
