From the very beginning of his career, Gabriel Yared found in Baalbeck a source of inspiration, making it only natural for the Festival to inaugurate its 70th anniversary with a tribute to one of the most influential contemporary composers.
On July 24, 2026 the Baalbeck International Festival opens its season with a Cine-Concert tribute to Yared, the only Lebanese artist to have received both an Academy Award and a César Award, multiple times nominated for the César Awards and honored with numerous international prizes and distinctions.
The opening evening on July 24, co-produced with the Abu Dhabi Festival, will bring together the MÁV Symphony Orchestra, European soloists, the Antonine University Choir, and Gabriel Yared himself at the piano. Film excerpts will be projected onto the millennia-old walls of the Temple of Bacchus, creating a unique dialogue between image, music, and heritage.
Yared said of the honour -
“For any artist, performing at the Baalbeck International Festival is a dream. It is one of the most prestigious festivals in the world and the first of its kind in the Middle East. For me, Lebanese composer, playing for the first time at the heart of these millennia-old temples is an immense joy and a great honor.
And even if the expression ‘cultural resistance’ may seem overused, it applies more than ever to the Baalbeck Festival and its organizers, who are determined to celebrate its 70th anniversary against all odds.
Finally, this partnership between two great institutions in the service of the arts and music – the Baalbeck International Festival and the Abu Dhabi Festival – feels entirely natural to me and fills me with joy. I salute the presence and contribution of the Abu Dhabi Festival, represented by Her Excellency Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, whom I have already had the privilege of meeting and knowing.”
