Irab

National Network
Lebanon
Address

Abdel Moneem Riyad street, El-Chaar bldg, ground floor, Hamra, Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut
Lebanon

Telephone
009613284715
E-Mail
petzy.hage@gmail.com
Website
http://www.irabmusic.org
Organisation Type
Non-Governmental Organization
Year of Establishment
2003
Fields of Activity
  1. Arts
General Information
A BRIEF OVERVIEW: IRAB is a non-governmental organization established in 2003 in Beirut by a number of music experts and practicing musicians. The office is located in Hamra-Beirut. The organization obtained its legal status in 18 August 2005 under the decree no. 159/A.D from the Ministry of Interior. Not found anywhere else in the Arab region, this initiative is one of its kind’s, as its targets to unfold this fortune of neglected and forgotten Arabic music heritage, to archive it and to make it accessible and available to the public. The NGO is responsible to collect and preserve found public and private musical collections. To this date most of those collections have been compiled through personal initiatives that are carried out by important and serious music hobbyist from the regions since the start of the 20th century. Today if we don’t act promptly, those collections are under the threat of ruin and disappearance along with their passing collector. Irab relies on the funding of local, regional and international donors.
Mission and Objectives

Irab is a Lebanese non-governmental organization which aims at collecting, preserving and spreading the Arab and Eastern musical heritage. Irab also promotes contemporary musicians and singers involved in the development and promotion of Eastern musical heritage.
IRAB aims to promote, develop and support oriental music and widen the circle of IRAB’s friends, among them musicians, media institutes, in addition a number of music teachers and experts in the field. The organization works to protect the threatened oriental music heritage, educate the public on the importance of the Arabic music heritage, as well as the contemporary authentic music. It also aims to promote forgotten music by the reproduction of music works and to distribute these music records in local and international markets.
The ultimate aim of IRAB is to establish a musical documentary library where the public can come and listen to the music and access any information regarding any composer, singer or musical instrument and also through a website that the organization intends to launch.

Main Projects / Activities

- Concerts: Irab is particularly the organizer of the festival "Musica" (editions from 2003 to 2009) which notably brought together Rima Khcheich (Lebanon), Marwan Abado (Palestine), Nasir Shamma (Iraq), Rami Khalifeh (Lebanon), and Hassan El-Haffar (Syria).
- Publishing books on music: In 2007, Irab published a book on the late singer Nour Al-Hoda written by Asaad Makhoul and titled “From the Cedars to the Pyramids”.
- Music Library: Within the ultimate objective of Irab is to establish a musical documentary library, where the public can come and listen to the music and access any information regarding any composer, singer or musical instrument.
- Collection of recordings: To this date, Irab has archived 15,000 hours of music recordings, some dating back to a century.
- Music Listening Salons: Salon on Al-Sayad Darwish, with the participation of singer Rima Kcheich, Zico House, May 2005.
Reproduction of CDs: Marwan Abado “Circles”, 2005. Nassir Shamma “ Rahil Al-Qamar/Fading Moon”, 2004.

Contact (1) Full Name
Bassel Kassem
Head of the organisation
Mr. Bassel Kassem