“I appeal to all intellectuals
whatever their political affiliation
or religious allegiance...
...to finally find
the path to Peace. »
omar harfouch
concerto for peace
7TH december 2024
DUBAI OPERA
With the exceptional presence of Orlando Bloom
with philharmonic orchestra conducted by MATHIEU BONNIN
World Premiere Dubai mi Amor with CHICO & THE GYPSIES
Foreword
Born in a country devastated by war, a conflict in which I even lost several friends, it was through learning the piano that I was able to get through this terrible period. Whenever there was a bombing, I would hide behind my piano to protect myself. Music was my only refuge, and today I consider that it has saved my life.
Faced with growing world conflicts and having witnessed how music soothes souls, it was with the encouragement of those around me that I made the decision to share my passion, devoting all the energy music has given me and using my fame to fight this scourge of war and its devastating consequences.
“Concerto for Peace,” which I have personally composed and co-orchestrated with my childhood friend Houtaf Khoury, is an original 17-minute composition for piano and philharmonic orchestra. Seventeen minutes during which I try to place the spectators in a bubble of peace.
I would also like to introduce you to an exceptional person, Mathieu Bonnin, who will be conducting the Symphony Orchestra tonight. Mathieu has been leading me with his orchestra for several months throughout Europe as well as in my quest calling for universal peace. I am grateful for his friendship, talent, and collaboration.
Another of my compositions which we’ll perform tonight, “La Fantaisie Orientale,” was recently performed for the first time in Paris with a symphony orchestra of 65 musicians, including ancient oriental instruments such as the Qanoun.
Lastly, “Save one life, you save Humanity,” a work I also composed, is fully associated with the harmony and universal peace found in both the Koran and the Torah:
“Who saves one life, saves all humanity.”
I plead for reason and wisdom so that all our communities share a moment of fraternity and find the path to peace together. Is a world torn by conflict the legacy we wish to leave to our children and grandchildren?
I call on all decision-makers regardless of their political affiliation or religious beliefs to finally find the path to PEACE.
Omar Harfouch
Schedule
6:00 - 7:15 PM
Red Carpet Photocall & Cocktail
7:30 PM
Start of the Concert
9:00 PM
End of the Concert
9:30 PM
Cocktail & After Party
Program
Concerto for Peace — Omar Harfouch
Orchestration: Houtaf Khoury – Omar Harfouch
Piano: Omar Harfouch
Ensemble Sequentiae Orchestra / Conductor: Mathieu Bonnin
Tripoli — Omar Harfouch
Piano: Omar Harfouch
Ensemble Sequentiae Orchestra / Conductor: Mathieu Bonnin
Save one life, you save Humanity — Omar Harfouch
Piano: Omar Harfouch
Ensemble Sequentiae Orchestra / Conductor: Mathieu Bonnin
Fantaisie Orientale — Omar Harfouch
Orchestration: Houtaf Khoury – Omar Harfouch
Piano : Omar Harfouch
Ensemble Sequentiae Orchestra / Conductor: Mathieu Bonnin
Dubaï me amor — Omar Harfouch
with Chico & The Gypsies
THE ORCHESTRA
The Ensemble Sequentiae Orchestra is made up of 23 musicians under the direction of Mathieu Bonnin
VIOLIN 1
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
CLARINET
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
VIOLIN 2
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
BASSOON
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
VIOLAS
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
HORNS
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
CELLOS
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
TRUMPET
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
DOUBLE BASSES
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
PERCUSSIONS
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
FLUTES
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
OBOE
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
ORCHESTRA ADMINISTRATION
Romuald Grimbert, Amélie Hirsch
Igor Ferlan, Gersende Mondani
Mathieu BONNIN
Mathieu Bonnin joined the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in 2008 in musical culture as well as Gregorian choir, leading the class of Louis-Marie Vigne. Passionate about conducting, he decided to specialize and went on an Erasmus exchange to the Birmingham Conservatory in musicology, majoring in conducting and organ. He also sang in Birmingham Cathedral’s professional choir.
He was successively choirmaster of the Maîtrise du Conservatoire of the 6th quarter in Paris, then of the Maîtrise de la Cathédrale de Chartres, with whom he performed during various concerts and appeared on France Culture, TF1, and France 2. During this time, he found a new vocation working with children, training, supporting, and encouraging them in their vocal learning.
From September 2015, he became choir director of the Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Dominique, joined the Orchestra of Paris choir in residence at the Philharmonie de Paris, and studied singing with Emmanuel Mendes, a member of the Opera choir from Paris. In September 2017, Mathieu Bonnin became choir director at Puy du Fou.
In 2019, he obtained a master’s degree in conducting with distinction at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, in the class of Robin Engelen. He was assistant conductor at the Théâtre National de Bruxelles and the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in the production of John Adams’ “I Was Looking at the Ceiling, Then I Saw the Sky.”
In 2020, Mathieu Bonnin was appointed choir director of the Conservatoire of the region of Béziers, where he also set up the Sequentiae vocal ensemble and orchestra.
In 2021, he earned his state diploma as a professor of vocal ensemble conducting and simultaneously became the conductor of Symphony Béziers Méditerranée.
It was in 2023 that Omar Harfouch sent him a recording of his music, to which he quickly agreed to collaborate by performing the work of Omar Harfouch with the Ensemble Sequentiae Orchestra. Sharing these strong moments led to a true friendship. This is the magic of music!
Omar HARFOUCH
Omar Harfouch was born on 20th April 1969 in Tripoli, Lebanon. Omar is a humanist, committed philanthropist, pianist, and composer, residing in Paris since 1984.
He was born into a family of activist teachers: his father was a teacher with the Carmelites and the Saint Jean Baptiste de la Salle Brothers in Tripoli, and his mother was a school principal and teacher who campaigned for women’s rights.
Fascinated by the piano, which he taught himself from an early age, he perfected his art after winning a piano competition organized during Gorbachev’s era in Moscow. He studied piano with Natalia Vladimiravna Protsenko and composition, notably in the city of Dnipro in Ukraine at the Glinka Conservatory. During the period of the breakup of the former Soviet empire, he unexpectedly found himself in Kyiv, where he developed different activities and acquired the Super Nova communications group in Ukraine with his brother Walid.
Omar Harfouch is also known for his participation in several television shows in France, events linked to the fashion world, and his commitment to the establishment of ethical rules in the modeling profession.
In December 2023, he was appointed Honorary President of the European NGO “Dialogue and Diversity” based in Brussels.
On 24th February 2024, Omar Harfouch was awarded the Creation Prize for his composition for piano and orchestra, “Concerto for Peace,” during the ceremony of the eleventh edition of the CAEL Awards in Dubai. A month later, on 25th March, he was awarded the “Universalism for Peace Prize” by LICRA (International League Against Racism and Antisemitism).
He has also recently acquired “Entrevue,” the famous French magazine created by Thierry Ardisson. On 5th September, in the presence of American actor Kevin Costner, Omar Harfouch received the award for the Best Peace Production from the Better World Fund at an event organized on the fringes of the Venice Film Festival.
Lastly, on 14th November, Omar Harfouch played his “Concerto for Peace” at the Vatican Apostolic Library, which was opened to the public for the first time on this occasion. The heads of some of the world’s major libraries and Italian public personalities attended the recital. During this event, he received the first medal struck for the 2025 Jubilee from Monsignor Vincenzo Zani, Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church. On 16th November, he was received in a private audience by His Holiness Pope Francis, who presented him with the medal created to mark his twelfth anniversary as Pope. The Pope described Omar Harfouch as “a pilgrim of peace.”
CHICO & THE GYPSIES
Founded in 1980, the original band played under the name Gipsy Kings. After several successful albums, including “Bamboléo” and “Mosaique,” the Gipsy Kings ended their original musical formation to later become Chico & The Gypsies.
In 1992, their first album, “Tengo Tengo,” was released under the new band’s name: Chico & The Gypsies. More than a dozen albums followed, some of which went gold or platinum. Their last album, “Mi Corazon,” was released by Sony Music and spent two weeks at the top of the album sales charts in France in July 2018.
This phenomenal success led to numerous encounters, resulting in exceptional duets with Charles Aznavour, Gérard Lenorman, Daniel Guichard, Florent Pagny, Julien Doré, Patrick Fiori, Nana Mouskouri, Roberto Alagna, Billy Paul, Kim Wilde, Kassav, Idir, Tony Carreira, Nuno Resende, Jessy Matador, Collectif Métissé, to name only a few. Concerts followed around the world, and their international recognition was crowned with awards recognizing Chico & The Gypsies’ enduring commitment to peace.
In 1994, Chico replaced the Gipsy Kings, who had canceled their appearance at the concert organized at UNESCO to mark the first anniversary of the peace treaty between Israel and Palestine.
Attended by Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat. Following the concert, UNESCO’s Director-General, Federico Mayor, learned about Chico’s family history: his brother, Ahmed Bouchikhi, was assassinated in Oslo in a mistaken identity case. Twenty-one years later, Chico shook hands with Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat in Oslo—a strong symbol of forgiveness that earned him his appointment to UNESCO. In 1996, he was appointed UNESCO’s Special Envoy for Peace by Captain Cousteau.
In 2001, he was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture and Communication, Catherine Tasca, in recognition of his promotion and recognition of Gypsy culture. In 2016, he was awarded the title of Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the French President François Hollande at the Élysée Palace for his commitment to promoting peace and tolerance. In 2019, he was nominated UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassador (1996–2020).
Through their backgrounds and shared commitment to peace, Omar Harfouch was inspired to compose a work that he and Chico & The Gypsies will perform together on stage for the recital at the Dubai Opera House, for the first time, on 7th December 2024.
