Sister Keyrouz Marie
L'Ensemble de la Paix
Unesco - Paris
Casino du Liban
L'Ensemble De La Paix
"When Lebanon was being shattered by bombs (1984) and its greatest need was peace,
Sister Marie Keyrouz was living in Beirut and dreaming of doing something to fight against her country being torn apart by the so-called religious war, by intolerance, the decline of culture and the disregard for all that was sacred.
This is what made the nun, a musician, call on all her colleagues, from all the religions and rites of Lebanon, to gather around holy music and try to defeat the evil and ugliness of war with all that was spiritual and beautiful - and that was the inception of the "Ensemble for Peace".
Monks or laymen, in the beginning, they were all from Lebanon. Within three years of its birth, the nun had succeeded in inducting musicians from all the Near and Middle-Eastern countries and all religious beliefs as members of her Ensemble.
Doctorates in musicology and music, composers or simply professional musicians, whether in "Voice", "Ud", "Kanoun" or Eastern Sitar, "rhythm", "Nay" or bamboo flute, "kaman", etc., every instrumentalist or chorister found his or her special place in the Ensemble for Peace and joined in admirably both in improvisations and in accompanying Sister Marie Keyrouz' singing.
The Ensemble traveled all over the world with Sister Marie Keyrouz, with programs and schedules, going from a pure A Capella to the instrumental and vocal accompaniment of forty musicians. Wherever they may live, be it Beirut or Paris, they make it a point to meet once a week for training and rehearsals. Sister Marie Keyrouz chose them for their musical talent and their personal interest in spiritual music...
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