Micheline Abi Samra is a lawyer registered at the Beirut Bar Association, after graduating from La Sagesse University with a degree in Law.
She founded the prominent Lebanese festival Beirut Chants established in 2008. Beirut Chants is one of the largest music festivals in Lebanon, it has been held every year in historic churches and other landmarks. As a tangible work towards religious tolerance and conviviality, the festival features more than 25 local and international performances for 22 consecutive nights, attended by over twenty thousand music lovers. The open-door festival has never been discontinued since 2008 despite all the challenges and turbulence, because of its belief that Culture is not Luxury.
Abisamra was received by his holiness Pope Francis in September 2016 as a gesture of recognition for her remarkable work in fostering peace and tolerance namely her work as the founder of Beirut Chants Festival. The Vatican also sent a special envoy to address a message from his holiness to the Lebanese people at the opening ceremony of Beirut Chants in December 2016.
Abisamra is an Executive Board member and member of the Board of Trustees of the Children’s Cancer Center in Lebanon (Saint Jude) since 2004, which has become the largest cancer medical treatment center in the Middle East.
Abisamra is the founder of the Lebanese Religious Tourism (NGO) since 2010, an initiative to endorse tolerance and acceptance between all religions and to place Lebanon on the religious tourism map.
She is a member of the Maronite League in Lebanon. The league was founded in 1952 to support Lebanon and its citizens to have equal rights and responsibilities, an essential element for the continuity of co-existence and peace.
Micheline has been Solidere’s Chairman and Board of Directors office manager.
She has worked on milestone projects related to the reconstruction of Beirut after the war. She is actively engaged in advising and implementing projects for the revival of the city center of Beirut. Her uninterrupted career with Solidere (since 1993) and Solidere International (since 2010), enabled her to build a solid and diverse expertise in city-making, retail, PR, and events in Lebanon and the region.
