Conductor Toufic Maatouk, O.A.M. is active in Lebanon, Bahrain, Italy, France, and United States of America. He is currently Guest Conductor of the Lebanese philharmonic Orchestra, Artistic director of Beirut Chants International Festival, Director of the Antonine University chorus (Lebanon), and Head of the voice department in the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory and is a director and lecturer at the Antonine University/Faculty of Music in Beirut.
Fr. Maatouk received his initial musical training at the Antonine University and Lebanese National Higher Conservatory in Beirut where he majored in Piano and opera singing. He is a Ph.D student in Musicology at the Istituto Pontificio di Musica sacra (Pims) in Rome. He conducted studies on the maronite chants following the instructions of N. Tangari, N. Abou Mrad. He furthered his studies in orchestra conducting and opera conducting with E. Nicotra, A. Polyanichko.
Moreover, on the concert podium he acquired a large active repertoire of romantic and operatic works. Among the many master classes and seminars Toufic Maatouk has attended were those led by E. Nikotra, A. Polyanichko, M. Stringer, A. Polischuk.
Countless numbers of his concerts have been recorded live by LBCI (Lebanese broadcasting Corporation International), MTV (MTV Lebanon), FutureTV (Lebanon). To date, he has released 8 CDs, Antonine University editions, (Lebanon) on the syriacmaronite tradition.
As chief conductor, Toufic Maatouk has led the Antonine University choir and the choir of the Lebanese philharmonic Orchestra. Since the year 2005, he is the director of the Faculty of Music at the Antonine University, Beirut-Lebanon. Since 2012, Maatouk is the artistic director of Beirut chants festival, a festival for early and classical choral and instrumental music in the downtown of Beirut. He collaborated with Al Bustan International Festival, Baalbeck International Festival, Byblos International Festival (Lebanon), Festival d’ile de France (Paris), Carnegie hall (New York), Al-Ain International music festival (UEA), Bahrain International Music Festival (Bahrain).
While he pursued his studies, Maatouk worked as a coach and conductor at the National Conservatory of Beirut (Lebanon). His first theater engagement was for Rossini’s Barbiere di Siviglia a co-production with Teatro dell’opera di Roma in Beirut and Al-Bustan festival (Lebanon) where he was choirmaster. He was musical assistant at the Al Bustan Festival, assistant conductor and choir Master to the General Music Director at the Al Bustan festival.
His conducting repertoire includes operas such as “Don Giovanni”, “Nozze di Figaro”, Cosi fan Tutte” (Mozart), “Elisir d’amore”, “Don Pasquale”, (Donizetti), “il Barbiere di Siviglia”, “Cerenentola” (Rossini), “La traviata”, “Don carlo”, “Rigoletto” (Verdi), “Cavalleria Rusticana” (Mascagni), Carmen” (Bizet).
For the current season, Fr. Maatouk has been assistant-conductor at al Bustan festival for Bellini's Norma and Beethoven’s MassinC (February-March 2015), he conducts the Lebanese Philharmonic orchestra on March 6th, 2015 for an opera gala concert. He conduct the Orchestra Giovanile Mediterranea in Palermo (April 1o, 2015) for Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte.
Maatouk upcoming engagements will be featuring Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte for the opera studio of the Lebanese National Conservatory and the Antonine University (11- 13 May 2015), Carnegie Hall debut as conductor for Puccini’s Messa di Gloria (New York- 23 May 2015), San Carlo Opera house in Naples as assistant conductor of Gabrielle Ferro for Rossini’s Cenerentola (June 2015). He will be as well member of jury of the International vocal competition Verdian voices in Bussetto- Italy (July 2015).