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AMAR Leading Team

 

Kamal Kassar

[Founder & President]

He specialized in Lebanese and French laws at the USJ, where he graduated in 1971, and pursued his career as a lawyer. Since his early years, he attended the Lebanese Conservatory and took classes in western Classical music, and he learned to play the flute. He composed the music for 2 of Jalal Khoury’s plays: “al Rafiq Sej’an” 1976 and “Hindiyeh” 2001. In 1982 he wrote the dialogues and co-wrote the scenario of “Les petites Guerres” a film by Maroun Bagdadi. The highlight of his journey as a music explorer, was the acquisition, in 2009, of the Annani Arab Music Collection (the largest music archives in Egypt), and the ensuing creation of AMAR, the foundation for the Archiving and Research in Arab Music.

Fadi Yeni Turk

[Vice-President & Member of the Management Board]

Fadi Yeni Turk is a director/cameraman born and raised in Lebanon, to his credits two feature documentaries, “Layn” and “Tonight’s film”, as well as a number of short films “When the War sank in”, “Demo”, “Sham el Hawa”… He was commissioned on several documentaries and reportages for international TV stations and Organisations.

Frédéric Lagrange

[Co-Founder & Member of the Management Board]

Frédéric Lagrange is currently Lecturer HDR and Director of the Department of Arab and Hebrew Studies at the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV). He has written and published numerous articles and studies including: “Reflections on a few recordings of Koranic chant in Egypt (from the era of 78 rpm to the modern era)” (2009, in French); “The dialectal poetry and songs” History of Modern Arabic Literature, Volume 1 (1800-1945) (2007), in French; “Researches on the pleasures in the medieval and contemporary Arab societies: music, language, sexuality” (2007), in French; “When Egypt was sung, taqtuqa and light songs in the early twentieth century” (2001), in French; “Musicians and poets in Egypt during the time of the Nahda” (doctorate, 1997), in French. He is the author of two books: “Music of Egypt” (1996) and “Islam of prohibitions, Islam of pleasures” (2008), both in French. He has also edited numerous booklets and CDs in the framework of the Arab Music Archives collection.

Akram RayessAkram Rayess

[Co-Founder & Member of the Management Board]

Akram Rayess is a researcher in Ethnomusicology and a management consultant with interest in cultural development, music of the Levant, music theatre and documentation. He is a founding member of the Foundation for Arab Music Archiving and Research (AMAR) and a Steering Committee member of the Modern Heritage Observatory (MoHO). He has organized an interdisciplinary conference on the joint works of Fairuz and Ziad Rahbani (Anis Makdasi Program for Literature at the American University in Beirut, 2006). Publications: Dossier on Ziad Rahbani, Adab Magazine, 11-12/2009 and 1-2/2010 (Editor, Researcher), Selected Papers of Zaki Nassif, AUB Press, 2014 (Co-editor).
Adolphe Tyan

[Co-Founder]

Barrister at the Court of Beirut
Law degree 1971
Post-graduate degree in Private Law 1981
Co-founder of AMAR foundation

Corinne Blanc

[AMAR Representative in France]

Administrator for nonprofit performing arts organizations (storytelling / theatre / puppet shows). Project manager at FNAC cultural and communication department (FNAC is the leading French retail chain selling cultural and electronic products). Master degree in administration of cultural projects. 18 years’ experience.

Naji Zahar

[Media]

 

Houda Ghoussoub Kassar

Houda studied at the “Ecole Normale Superieure” in the Lebanese University of Beirut and had a Master degree in French Literature. She taught for several years in public School. She wrote three Novels that were published in French: “Lezarde”, “Houriya” and “Tranches de Plage”, the first two were published in Arabic under “Assira al Mashtura” and “Huriya”.

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