Who we are

Our Mission

Through the universal language of music, opera, and performing arts, and by promoting young artists from the Middle East and the Western world, the Peace and Prosperity Trust raises awareness and funds for charitable projects in the Middle East and for its young artists.

Working towards “peace” is achieved by using the international language of music and opera to produce concerts which include the fusion of Middle Eastern and Western music, as well as the fusion of different cultures.

Working towards “prosperity” is achieved by creating awareness and sometimes funding through these projects to specified charities dealing with education, health, poverty and culture.

The young artists who strongly believe in the purpose of the Trust, become the Ambassadors of the Trust as they too believe in spreading the message of “Peace and Prosperity” throughout.

Emerging Artists of the P&PT in concert at Kensington Palace, August 2016

Strategic Objectives

In line with our mission, The Peace and Prosperity Trust has five key strategic objectives.

To support charitable projects in the Middle East

Most of our concerts are affiliated with a charity that works towards peace and prosperity in the Middle East. We recognise that without prosperity, there can be no peace. Raising awareness of specific charities and their causes creates direct fundraising and campaigning, helping them to alleviate poverty, improve health, promote education and preserve cultural heritage.

To create cultural fusion and promote peace

Our concerts provide a forum for Middle Eastern and Western cultures to come together and offer an exchange of music, tradition and heritage. This not only creates an environment for mutual learning and understanding, it also provides a living example of how reconciliation and harmony can exist between fractured communities: sending out a powerful message of hope and peace.

To give voice to and support young talent

Through our concerts we promote and inspire musical talent from the Middle East and the West. Our concerts provide artists with the opportunity to showcase their abilities, work with globally renowned musicians, and establish themselves on an international stage.

To develop ambassadors

As the success of our artists grows, we hope they will become ambassadors of our work, and support us in building a legacy of harmony and reconciliation. Supporting more artists and building more relationships with musicians, venues and charities globally, will ensure our reach widens and our impact strengthens: helping our message of peace and prosperity to resonate across the world.

To use culture and music to give hope and a future to youngsters affected by war

So much of the Middle East today is in serious turmoil and we are witnessing mass migration and homelessness. The Trust plans to use music and culture to help young people get off the streets and offer them hope, purpose and grounding in life by providing workshops, performances, master classes, educational programs and where possible musical instruments into their homes.

Our History

This charity has been spawned from an idea originally conceived by Mr. Rajai Khouri in 1991 and was developed with the active support of H.R.H. Princess Dina Abdul-Hamid Al Aoun of Jordan, Mrs. Barbel Abela, Dr. David Sambar, Mrs. Leila Tannous, Sir Peter Wakefield, HE Kamal Khoury, Mr. George Asseily, Mr. Dennis O’Neill, Ms Tina Ruta, Mr Matthew Epstein, Mrs. Leila Buheiry, Mr. Antoine Mattar, Mr Alan Sievewright, Ms Diane Atherton, Mr Issam Salfiti and Mr. Simon Clitherow.

The Trust was officially registered in 1994 with Mr. Rajai Khouri as its Founder. The original message of the Trust was “Through the universal language of Music, Opera and the performing art, The Peace and Prosperity Trust seeks to raise funds for charities in the Levant countries. We aim to integrate artists of international renown along with new young talent”.

The Trust has organised many concerts and performances in the UK starting in March 1998 with a concert by The London Welsh Male Voice Choir and the Lebanese/Armenian soprano Sona Ghazarian in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, and later other concerts involving, amongst others the Russian ballerina Anastasia Volochkova and the Palestinian pianist Saleem Abboud Ashkar.

The Trust was also instrumental in the development of a project involving Luciano Pavarotti performing in Lebanon for the Beirut Festival in June 1999, as well as a project for the performance in London of Mozart’s “Il Re Pastore”, produced by Alan Seivewright for the British Lebanese Association in November 1999.

In December 2007, the Trust produced its first CD “A Message of Peace at Christmas” sung by the Founder of the Trust, Mr. Rajai F. Khouri. Rajai and all the artists who appeared on the CD donated their time to raise funds for the Trust.

In early 2010, H.R.H The Duke of Gloucester became the first Royal Patron of the Trust and HRH Princess Alia Bint Al Hussein of Jordan became the Honorary Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Some of the highlights of the few years which followed were a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by Her Majesty the Queen, attended by Rajai Khouri and some of our young artists in recognition of young people in the performing arts and those who support them. In 2012, the young artists of the Trust came together to give a concert at Cadogan Hall, ‘Eastern Voices: Western Echoes’ in the presence of HRH The Duke of Gloucester, which promoted cultural fusion through traditional Arabic, western and contemporary music.

The first concert organised outside the UK was in Amman, Jordan in November 2010 when some of the young artists whom the Trust are promoting performed and later two concerts were organised in Lebanon in December 2015 and December 2016 as part of the Beirut Chants Festival.

The following have served in the Trust since its inception until the date of this website

HRH Princess Dina Abdul Hamid of Jordan

Honorary Trustee and Chairman

HRH Princess Alia Bint Al Hussein of Jordan

Honorary Trustee and Chairman

Mrs Barbel Abela

Honorary Trustee

Dr David Sambar

Honorary Trustee

Mrs Tina Ruta

Advisor to the Trustees

Mr Dennis O’Neill

Advisor to the Trustees

Mr Antoine Mattar

Advisor to the Trustees

Mr Nabil Naaman

Advisor to the Trustees and Trustee

Mrs Latifa Kosta

Trustee

Mrs Lauretta Ridley

Trustee

Mr Isam Salfiti

Trustee

Mrs Susanne Naaman

Trustee

Mrs Heba Zaphiriou-Zarifi

Trustee

Mr George Asseily

Trustee

Mrs Rima Ghubril Shour

Trustee

Mr Philip Stoltzfus

Trustee

Mr Peter Brightman

Trustee

Mr Rajai Khouri

CEO

Mrs Leila Buheiry

Administrator and CEO

Mrs Hala Gharib Maalouf

CEO

Mrs Christina Edgar-Hiatt

Administrator and CEO