Conservatoire Libanais
Introduction
Le Conservatoire libanais national supérieur de musique, or the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music, was founded in the 1930s by Wadih Sabra, composer of the national anthem of Lebanon. In 1953, President Camille Chamoun along with the Minister of Education, order the creation for a board to manage the conservatory, and the "Friends of Music" foundation was created to help finance the conservatory. The Conservatoire became in 1959 an Autonomous National Institution under the supervision of the Minister of Education. During the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1991) the National Conservatoire suffered great damage: all the instruments, documents and the library were looted and burnt. The Conservatoire resumed teaching in 1991 and was upgrated in 1995 to a National Institution of Higher Education.[23] The conservatory, which is headed by the well-known composer and conductor, Dr. Walid Gholmieh, has more than 4,800 students taught by 250 professors in more than 9 branches. The conservatory is home to the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra, the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) & the Lebanese Oriental Orchestra (LOO), that perform yearly more than 100 concerts and activities devoted to the conservatory's educational mission. Its main headquarters is on the Serail Hill in Downtown Beirut, directly facing the southern gate of the Grand Serail.
