HSBC pledges its support to Baalbeck International Festival

The Baalbeck International Festival, like HSBC, fulfills the tastes of a wide variety of audiences who are lovers of classical, jazz and modern world music, as well as dance, theatre and opera fans. HSBC is a great believer in encouraging all forms of art for art is a representation of self-expression, which is vividly illustrated in our current global advertising campaign which embraces the diversity of peoples' perspectives on a wide variety of topics.

"HSBC is proud to support the internationally renowned Baalbeck International Festival for the first time. As a Bank, we like to participate in diverse cultural events as it reflect our commitment to the countries where we operate for we are the world's local bank and the Baalbeck International Festival, promotes cross-cultural understanding and art in its various forms, and it fits with HSBC's aspirations. We wish the Baalbeck Festival organisers all the success,"

said Joseph Chartouni, Regional Manager Marketing, HSBC Bank Middle East Limited.

Mrs Nayla de Freige, Vice President of Baalbeck International Festival said: "We are honoured that HSBC is one of our partners this year which marks the 50th anniversary of the Baalbeck International Festival. We are also honoured to have the Lebanese Diva Fairouz coming back to sing in Baalbeck in the play "Sah El Nom" by the Rahbani Brothers. It is in an impressive news staging between the temples of Bacchus and Jupiter that she will inaugurate the Festival 2006."