EPISODE #05 of #TheNadimTarabayPodcast with the Lebanese dynamic musical duo that took the local classical music scene by storm: Yasmina Sabbah & Mario el Rahi. In this episode, where Wine reigns supreme, we discuss a wide range of matters, in regards to the organisation of big institutions such as the USJ Choir as opposed to the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, season programming, the relationship between the performer and the conductor, as well as the ever-present topic of the Lebanese composer. YASMINA SABBAH: Yasmina Sabbah is a Lebanese choir and orchestra conductor who holds a Masters of Music in Conducting from the University of Cambridge. In July 2021, Yasmina Sabbah was appointed as conductor of the Firdaus Orchestra, a pioneering all-female musical ensemble developed exclusively for Expo 2020 Dubai under the patronage of Oscar-Winner A.R. Rahman. Set to perform at all major events and celebrations at the Expo, the orchestra brings together musicians of 23 nationalities from the MENA region to create an innovative sound by merging Western, Eastern, and Oriental instruments. The repertoire includes a vast array of music genres and styles from Symphonic works to Arabic music, Indian music, Hollywood themes, Bollywood themes, Qawwali, Music Theatre (to name a few) and commissioned compositions and unique arrangements by AR Rahman. Sabbah also collaborated and conducted alongside global music icons Andrea Bocelli, Christina Aguilera, Anoushka Shankar and Hussain Al Jassmi. Sabbah is also the Director of Music at the Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth and has led the Choeur de l’USJ since 2016. Founded in 2015 by Pr. Salim Daccache s.j., the USJ Choir has grown to include over seventy singers. Sabbah also directs the Ensemble Vocal Baroque de l’USJ, an advanced chamber choir specialized in early music. She has curated and conducted a large and varied repertoire ranging from Baroque to Contemporary music, most notably performances of Vaughan Williams’s “Dona Nobis Pacem”, Mozart’s “Requiem”, Handel’s “Messiah”, Haydn’s “Nelson Mass”, J.S. Bach’s “St. John Passion”, Jenkins’ “The Armed Man” along with many others. MARIO EL RAHI: Born in Lebanon in 1983, Mario Rahi started the violin at a very young age. He pursued his diploma studies at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory of Rome with Maestro Claudio Cornoldi. In 2011, Mario Rahi was awarded his master’s degree, with the maximum vote from the Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia with Prof. Domenico Nordio and Sonig Tchakerian. During his studies, Mario attended several master classes for solo, chamber and orchestral music with renowned professors such as Salvatore Accardo at the Accademia Chigiana of Siena. He was appointed concert master at the World Youth Orchestra from 2001 until 2010, and performed with famous and reputed Italian artists such as Bruno Giuranna (chamber music) and Stefano Montanari (Baroque music). Later on, Mario was admitted to the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra, established by the legendary film-music composer Ennio Morricone. Back to Lebanon at the age of 28, Mario has been part of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra since 2011. He is currently a violin teacher at the Lebanese National Conservatory of Music. He also contributed to the development of the “Conservatory Youth Orchestra” that he has been coaching with great passion and dedication until today. Mario appeared several times as soloist and concertmaster with the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra performing concertos by Mozart, Saint-Saëns and Hakim. He is often invited to perform in many festivals in Lebanon and abroad especially in Italy. Mario reserves particular interest in promoting Lebanese classical music, some of the compositions were dedicated to him such as Iyad kanaan's violin sonata and Naji Hakim's variations on a minuet by J.S Bach.