Following a captivating Centennial Tribute Concert on the Beirut campus, the heart of the LAU Byblos campus came into the limelight with an enchanting performance by the Philokalia Choir, Ashtar Ensemble and the Orchestra, under the baton of Sister Marana Saad on July 24.

Attending the event were friends of the university including the Zakhem family who had donated the 100,000 square meters of land on which LAU Byblos was established, MPs, diplomats, LAU trustees, leaders, school deans, alumni, faculty, staff, students and the larger communities of Blat and Byblos.

In her opening remarks as the master of ceremonies, LAU Executive Director of Media and Public Relations Nada Torbey spoke about the university’s 100-year legacy which led it to become one of Lebanon’s top institutions.

LAU President Michel E. Mawad invited the audience to “revel in the eloquence of culture, art and innovation in celebration of the university’s first century, as we look to a yet brighter future.”

The president also touched on the institution’s spectacular growth into a multicampus university—present in Beirut, Byblos and the heart of Manhattan in New York City—that caters to more than 8,000 students with over 750 faculty members across seven schools and two medical centers.

Wishing LAU a thousand more years to come, S. Marana expressed her delight in conducting the choir and orchestra in the heart of her hometown, describing the concert as “a privilege and an opportunity to give back to a loving, diverse community that nurtured me.”

She shared an anecdote about a friend who had attended LAU on a full scholarship to demonstrate “how the university epitomizes the pursuit of social justice, culture, education, art and true belief in humanity.”

Close to 1,000 attendees were spellbound by tunes from Lebanon’s golden age that paid homage to the talents of Lebanon’s greats, such as Gibran Khalil Gibran, the Rahbani Brothers, Nasri Chamseddine, Zaki Nassif and Elias Abou Chabkeh. The concert opened with a special ode to the university’s centennial, written by the Director of LAU’s Center for Lebanese Heritage and poet Henri Zoghaib and composed by LAU’s Musician-in-Residence and composer Joseph Khalife.

An interlude of English songs honored the university’s dual identity, featuring You Raise Me Up, Amazing Grace and March with Me. The latter was performed by LAU Assistant Professor of Practice and soprano Reem Deeb.