PIANIST PLAYS UP JEITA GROTTO’S BID TO WIN SEVEN WONDERS CONTEST
By Megan Bainbridge

Daily Star – Lebanon

Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Lebanon

300 attend concert in underground cave

JEITA: The beautifully lit stalactites and stalagmites on the upper
cavern of the Jeita Grotto provided a spectacular backdrop for Friday
evening’s recital by the Lebanese-Armenian pianist and composer,
Guy Manoukian, and his ensemble. The concert was held as part of the
campaign to designate the Jeita Grotto as one of the new seven natural
wonders of the world. It was presented by the MAPAS organization,
which oversees the grotto’s management, and the Association for
Lebanese-Japanese Culture and Business Leaders.

The well-heeled audience was ferried from the entrance to the
mouth of the grotto in the small "train" that services the site. The
approximately 300-person crowd included notable figures such as Tourism
Minister Ellie Marouni, Japanese Ambassador Yoshihisa Kuroda and Miss
Lebanon Rosarita Tawil.

The grotto, "a star in the sky of Lebanon" according to Nabil Haddad,
General Manager of the Jeita Grotto, provided a beautiful setting for
the concert. The audience was seated intimately close to the makeshift
stage, on which Manoukian performed, surrounded by the grotto’s famous
"architecture."

The audience was treated to an hour-long recital that included a
combination of traditional Lebanese pieces, as well as a selection
of Manoukian’s own compositions, including the works "Peace"
and "Freedom." He was accompanied by four violin players, two
percussionists and a flutist.

He was also joined by a female wide-pipe performer for a haunting
musical item.

Speaking during a pause in the recital, Manoukian spoke of his long
association with the Jeita Grotto and his affection for the natural
wonder.

"The first time I played [in the grotto] was 11 years ago. It was my
first ever professional concert, and so I am very happy to be here
today," he said.

"I hope and believe that it will be made one of the seven new wonders
of the world," Manoukian added.

Manoukian, who began playing piano at age six and performed at the
presidential palace when he was seven years old, also spoke about
his changing relationship with his music.

"When I started playing music I had a choice, I could play piano and
play other people’s music or make my own," he said, adding that he
had gladly chosen the latter option.

"I wanted to give my music an identity, and what better identity than
a Lebanese identity?"

The Jeita Grotto is currently vying, along with the cedars of Lebanon,
to be named as one of the new "Seven Wonders of Nature," as part
of a global competition organized by the Swiss-based New7Wonders
Foundation. The two Lebanese sites are competing for the votes needed
to reach the second stage of the competition – and only one "candidate"
from each nation can proceed to the next round.

The grotto is comprised of two immense limestone caves, and is
located in the Nahr al-Kalb (Dog River) Valley 20 kilometers north
of Beirut. It is the only grotto in the world that has two levels.