Poland in Lebanon

The "Sounds of Polish" initiative was organized in cooperation with the Lebanese organization Beirut Chants El Sistema and the cultural institution Beit Tabaris. Numerous applications from young people from across Lebanon were received. Those selected had to pass a qualification process before going through to the final. In the final round, fifteen young people aged 11 to 17 performed, each presenting a classical Polish violin piece.

The Polish musician and violinist Szymon Telecki, who came to Beirut especially for this event, took part in the initiative. On 3 March, he organized a violin lesson (masterclass) for the finalists of the competition. In the evening, in Beit Tabaris, in the centre of Beirut, a concert of Polish music was held, including works by Jan Ignacy Paderewski, Karol Szymanowski, Grażyna Bacewicz and Henryk Wieniawski, and where Mr Telecki was accompanied by the Lebanese-Ukrainian pianist Janna Popkova. Bringing together people from a broad spectrum of Beirut’s cultural and music scenes, the concert was a unique evening of Polish music at its best.

On the 4th of October, the violin competition final took place, which saw young people trying their hand at the obligatory program including polonaises, kujawiaks and mazurkas. Seven participants performed in the junior category (from 11 to 14 years old)) and eight in the older group (15 to 17 years old). In the classical program, the participants presented works by, among others, A. Vivaldi, O. Rieding, and J.S. Bach. The Polish program saw the Lebanese youth perform works by J. I. Paderewski, H. Wieniawski, M. Popławski and G. Bacewicz. The jury consisted of Polish and Lebanese artists and violinists who work professionally with young people on a daily basis, including Szymon Telecki, Ramzi Kandalaft and Mario Rahi. In the opinion of the jury, the level of the competition was high, and the performances – especially in the junior group – were at a very good level. At the end of the event, all participants performed in a joint concert with the members of the jury, which was a solemn summary of the event.

It is worth noting that it was not only the first violin competition of Polish music, but also the first violin competition for Lebanese youth in the whole country in over 10 years. For this reason, the Polish initiative was met with great interest among Lebanese youth.