June 28-July 23: The ancient port of Byblos, 30km north of Beirut, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Each summer, it becomes the meeting point of East and West when the International Festival presents a rich fusion of Arabic and world music. Byblos has flourished as a venue for cultural and live music performances for the past 20 years. The festival has established an unofficial theme whereby different genres of music from disparate cultures are blended at each show. E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +961 9 54 20 20. Town Information: Byblos (Jbeil). Program highlights this year include Moby, Scorpions, Jamie Cullum, Amadou & Mariam and 30 Seconds to Mars.
 
June 29-July 3: Don Quixote starring Rafic Ali Ahmadm Hiba Tawaji, Paul Sleiman, Antoine Balaban, Assaad Haddad, Nazih Youssef, Maya Yamine, Boutros Hanna, Toni Issa, Rita Hayek and Michel Nassar, Based on Cervantes’ literary masterpiece, “Don Quixote” is an epic musical play created by Marwan, Ghadi and Oussama Rahbani for the opening of Byblos 2011. “Don Quixote’s” idealism clashes with Lebanese realities in this huge theatrical sensation. On the port, Byblos, JL.
 
June 30: Interplay Jazz with Karrin Allyson, John Proulx and the Interplay Gospel Choir. Starting at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall Theater.
 
July1-31: Zouk Mikael International Festival. The annual Zouk Mikael International Festival features a vibrant program of live music and performing arts each July in this city in the Kesrouan Mountains. Performances take place in an amphitheater overlooking the Mediterranean. At Zouk Mikael.
 
July 1: Dave Seaman performing at Chocolate Club, Sin el Fil 70888388, Beirut, BA from 11 p.m.
 
July 5: Moby live in Lebanon. With over 20 million albums sold worldwide and hundreds of commercials and films using his songs, Moby is widely acclaimed as one of the most important figures in electronic music. Pushing boundaries with his mix of ambient electronica, blues and rock, he is set to deliver an explosive live performance.
 
July 6-7: The Scorpions Live. The Legendary Rock Icons Scorpions will be performing two shows as part of the Byblos Festival. After many promises and rumors in the past about this band coming back, Scorpions will finally step on the heart of history, “Byblos City.” Scorpions stated before that they will retire soon, so lets take advantage and watch the legends in their last performances.
 
July 8: Tania Zygar live at 10 p.m. at Chocolate Club, Beirut, BA.
 
July 9: Florent Pagny Live. One of France’s biggest selling artists, Florent Pagny is an outstanding singer with a repertoire ranging from rock to opera as well as French pop. His acoustic recital in Byblos will allow him to revisit the iconic songs of some of the greatest French singers alongside a selection of his best-known songs. 
 
July 12: Jamie Cullum. Pianist, crooner and accomplished showman, Jamie Cullum is a one-man variety performance all of his own. Accompanied by a full band, the UK’s biggest selling jazz artist of all time will be taking Byblos by storm with his countless revisions of pop and rock staples, high octane renditions of jazz standards and a growing number of his own hits.
 
July 16: 30 Seconds To Mars. The group's epic style can't be categorized by one genre of music and falls somewhere between progressive and alternative rock. It's this electronic, alternative and indie rock sound that has built 30 Second to Mars a huge fan base. At the Byblos Festival, Beirut.
 
July 20: Amadou & Mariam. The best-selling act to come out of Africa this century, Amadou & Mariam have collaborated with the world’s biggest artists (Manu Chao, Damon Albarn...) both onstage and in the studio. “The blind couple from Mali” — as they are also known — will win you over with their “Afro-blues”, a perfect blend of catchy pop tunes, rock guitar and African rhythms!
 
July 23: Les Mystères Lyriques is a playful and interactive introduction to Opera that uses the magical world of tarots and its symbols as a backdrop to present a selection of arias by Mozart, Handel, Offenbach and Ravel among others. With a French-Lebanese cast this innovative production will be led by Master of Ceremony Gianni De Feo and accompanied by a full orchestra.

— Compiled by Mariam Nihal