The Italian Institute of Culture in Lebanon organizes, for the SOL Festival, a concert by the Duo
Eugenio Maria Fagiani (organ) and Elie Njeim (trumpet)
Thursday, April 3rd, 2025 | 8:00 PM
Church of Mar Zakhia | Ajaltoun
FREE ENTRY
Under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Lebanon, the concert will take place as part of the 10th edition of the SOL – Week of the Organ in Lebanon, organized by the NDU’s School of Music and the International Organ Festival of the Holy Land.
The concert is part of the broader mission of the Institute, aimed at promoting the Italian language and culture, also through the dissemination of Italian music and its excellence, particularly in the field of organ music, whether sacred or secular, traditionally less known or confined to the liturgical setting.
BIOGRAPHY: Eugenio Maria Fagiani
Renowned internationally for his impressive, enthralling and vibrant musical language, the Italian organist Eugenio Maria Fagiani performs regularly on the most important instruments in Europe, the Middle East, America, Asia and Russia. Besides his activity as a soloist, he holds a long-term collaboration with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano La Verdi, the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini (Parma) as well as the Orchestra Filarmonica della Fenice (Venezia). He has been directed by eminent conductors such as Jeffrey Tate, Riccardo Chailly, Xian Zhang, Vasily Petrenko and Stanislav Kochanovsky. Since 2008 he has been the Organist of the Franciscan Shrine of La Verna, Arezzo (IT) and in this position he combines that of Titular Organist of the Arezzo’s Cathedral (2022). He is invited to hold masterclasses and lectures for several top-class music institutions around Europe, Middle East, Russia and North America. He is also invited to serve as a juror in international competitions. He records with: VDE-Gallo, Spektral Records, Fugatto, Da Vinci Classics, Decca and Warner. In 2024, in Russia, he was awarded the “Organist of the Year” prize. This is a Russian award promoted by the “Foundation for the Development of Creative Initiatives” with the support of the Russian Music Union and the magazine “Musical Life”. It has been motivated as follows: for the creation of cultural bridges. Eugenio is the first foreigner musician that obtained this prize.
BIOGRAPHY: Elie Njeim
Passionate about both performance and education, Elie Njeim is a professor at the Lebanese Higher Conservatory of Beirut. Experienced trumpet player with over 20 years as a member of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra. He has participated in numerous international trumpet masterclasses, collaborated with prestigious orchestras, and performed at major music festivals worldwide.
PROGRAM:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Passacaglia BWV 582
Jeremiah Clarke (1673-1707)
Prince of Denmark’s March
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Trumpet tune
Johann Baptist Georg Neruda (1708-1780)
Concerto in Eb
Naji Hakim (1955)
Salve Regina
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Prelude, Chorale and Fugue in d minor