Irtijal: la voix est libre

Irtijal is today the oldest music festival of the city of Beirut and one of the longest standing international festivals of post-war Lebanon, celebrating its 10th anniversary in April 2010. Irtijal is organized by mill, a non-profit association founded in 2000 by Mazen Kerbaj and Sharif Sehnaoui to promote contemporary and experimental practices in music, and to assist projects that do not fit into the Lebanese mainstream, yet still present undeniable artistic value.

Irtijal invites «la voix est libre» (fr) Jörg Müller: tubes Peter Corser: saxophone Marlène Rostaing: dance

Intended as a celebration of individual freedom and a cry of revolt against the societal cleavage of genres and human identities, ‘la voix est libre’ is a collective that gathers both creative and scientific minds, bent on shedding light on a world in constant mutation. It is at once a collision of genres and a fertile breeding ground for various disciplines, harboring artists and thinkers from different corners of the globe.

In 2013, ‘la voix est libre’ brought together voices as varied as that of Chinese dissident poet and musician Liao Yiwu, martinican writer Patrick Chamoiseau, playwright Valère Novarina, hip-hop artist Casey, dancer Kaori Ito, and Russian liberal poet Daniil Harms, for a series of European concerts.

Ever ready for takeoff, ‘la voix est libre’ reaches Lebanon’s shores and the Irtijal festival equipped with a transcultural, multi-disciplinarian program, showcasing acrobatics & sonorous tubes, modern dance & free improvisation, vocal inventions & freeform slamming, to name but a few!