Annual Picnic

Super Star Performances

Amanda Abizaid, Fidel Fayad & Salem Mawla

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, model and actress; these are just a few of Amanda Abizaid's many given talents.  

As a model, the statuesque Abizaid has walked the runway for designers such as Jacques Fath, Nina Ricci, Zandra Rhodes, and Oscar De La Renta everywhere from Germany, Miami, New York and London.

And if you've never seen her modeling or acting, you're sure to have heard her sing, even if her name does not immediately resonate with you.

As a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist - piano, guitar, and flute - Amanda is best known as the captivating vocalist on the theme song "A Place In Time" from Paramount's The 4400, the featured song "Dreams in Ashes" from Lifetime Television's Odd Girl Out, as well as other lead vocal appearances in songs appearing in Smallville, Ed, One Tree Hill, Felicity, and Charmed.  

Amanda also composed and sang movie theme songs for 3 Below, 13th Alley, and the independent short film, Facing the Lion, by writer director, Joe Plonsky, and executive producer, Scott Spiegel, in where she also stars.

Born in Beirut, Lebanon to an American mother and Lebanese father, Amanda and her four older sisters sang continuously as her instinctive musical talent emerged as naturally as her permanent smile and infectious laughter. The influences of Western recording artists, such as Elton John, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and The Beatles combined with the abundant Middle Eastern music she heard and sang daily growing up in Beirut to create her own unique musical identity.

There are countless singers who lend their voice to an infinite number of anonymous TV gigs, but Amanda Abizaid is recognized with a voice that resonates above the crowd with an adventurous spirit that makes any song to which she contributes vocals, and all of her albums, unpredictable and mesmerizing.

www.amandaabizaid.com  

Fidel Fayad was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon.  He is the second of four siblings whom are all artistically inclined. Born of a Lebanese father and a Syrian mother, Fidel grew up listening, appreciating and grasping the music of Wadih el-Safi and Sabah Fakhri which helped build a strong basis and foundation for his current singing abilities. 

www.fidelfayad.com 

Salem Mawla was born in Zahle, Lebanon in 1981 and began his career 10 years later.  He has performed many concerts, but his career took off after he performed on Studio El Fan Talent Show in 2001.  He signed a  contract with the famous director Simon Asmar to produce and manage his first album, Taala Arab. In 2006 with his brother, Ghassan, he produced  - Milody FM.  His second album in 2010 was La Tenghashi and he is now performing throughout the United States.  "I promise all fans and friends a great album soon and great picnic."

Salem Mawla and brother Ghassan

Board of Directors Being Honored  

Dr. Paul Wakim & Dalida Keuroghlian

2012 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Recipients 

Each year the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations Foundation, Inc. [NECO] presents the Ellis Island Medals of Honor.  This year, two members of our Board of Directors are being honored.  Dr. Paul Wakim, renown orthopedic surgeon and CFO of the Lebanese American Foundation and Dalida Keuroghlian, owner of MK Designers General Contractors in Glendale, will receive their medals on May 12th. 

Designed to pay homage to the immigrant experience, as well as for individual achievement, medals are awarded to U.S. citizens from various ethnic backgrounds.  The honorees are remarkable Americans who exemplify outstanding qualities in both their personal and professional lives, while continuing to preserve the richness of their particular heritage.  NECO honors them because they create a better world for all of us in the future by the work they do today.

Congratulations Dr. Wakim and Mrs. Keuroghlian on this outstanding award from all your friends at the House of Lebanon.  We are indeed proud of you! 

HOL Artists' Group | NOW