Irtijal: The Oldest Music Festival In Town Returns In Its 22nd Edition
Founded in 2000 by musicians Mazen Kerbaj and Sharif Sehnaoui, Irtijal is the first ever experimental festival to exist in Beirut and it is now back to explore the uncharted territories in sound through a series of FREE concerts.
Irtijal’s XXIInd edition will be injecting the Lebanese cultural scene with a hefty dose of alternative music through an unprecedented lineup of international, regional, and local sound artists who experiment with contemporary compositions, electronic music, improvisation, and many other forms of innovative music production.
Introducing the festival tonight starting 8:00pm at Ashkal Alwan are the APLOMB improvisatory duo with Maria Tantanozi on the flute and by Andria Nicodemou on the vibraphone, the oldest local improvisation group “A” Trio accompanied by sound artist Thomas Ankersmit, and an ‘IN PARENTHESES’ joint performance featuring Lebanese Postcards pop trio, electronic musician Sary Moussa, and sound engineer Fadi Tabbal.
The closing party will take place at The Ballroom Blitz this Sunday, led by Athens-based musician Sofia Zafeiriou and Passport With You group whose sound can be distinguished through the original mix of electronics, saxophone, accordion, bayan, and percussion instruments.
The European opera band Neue Vocalsolisten will also be joined by artists from Lebanon, Egypt and Palestine on ‘VOICE AFFAIRS’, a multi-disciplinary project combining concert performance and video installation.
