Over the years, Beirut has morphed into a rich breeding ground for young and independent musicians, and at some point a sanctuary for many of the region’s artists asylum seekers.
Back in 2013, in response to the bustling state of music productions, four protagonists from such a vibrant scene founded Beirut and Beyond to turn collective aspirations into realities, by creating a platform where collaborations, growth and development of the music can take place.
Beirut and Beyond came to fruition as a yearly showcase festival, one during which the regional musical talent got the chance to promote their art.
Since the first edition of Beirut & Beyond International Music Festival, developed by artistic director Khaled Yassine, produced by Amani Semaan, Ziad Fayed and Hani Siblini, succeeded at positioning itself as a key player in the map of regional festivals and showcases.
There is no doubt that Beirut and Beyond underwent a metamorphosis over the years, no more so than over the past two years, uplifting and changing its identity and adapting its missions as a response to the current events Lebanon has been suffering from. B&B became an entity that fosters the independent music scene’s infrastructure, catering to its ever-changing needs, locally and regionally, such as development programs and capacity-building, to name a few.
From its onset, B&B enjoyed a tightly-knit relationship with Oslo World (OW).
At the OK WORLD project in 2012, a meeting between OW director Alexandra Archetti Stolen and B&B founders took place and set the ball rolling for the first ever edition. The partnership has ever since evolved into a meaningful and sustainable blueprint for cultural collaborations between Arab and European organizations.