S. Marana Saad
“Music is prayer, art is a path to God, and beauty is a reflection of truth.”
Founder and President of Philokalia, S. Marana Saad has dedicated her life to revealing the spiritual dimension of art and the transforming power of beauty. Through her work, she has made music a space of encounter between faith, culture, and human creativity.
In 2010, she founded the Philokalia Choir, and later established three vocal ensembles: Hymnos, dedicated to Western polyphony; Ashtar, focused on Arabic sacred and traditional music; and Bēt-Gazō, performing Syro-Maronite traditional repertoire. With these ensembles, she has led performances and cultural exchanges in France, Cyprus, Italy, Poland, Germany, and the United States.
She holds two doctorates—one in Theology from Saint Anselm’s University in Rome and another in Musicology from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik. Her musical journey in choral conducting was shaped under the guidance of Maestro Walter Marzilli at the Pontificio Istituto di Musica Sacra in Rome. She also pursued further studies in Strategic Management and Leadership at George Washington University (USA) and in music therapy at the Nantes Music Therapy Institute in France.
Sr. Marana teaches theology and music at several universities and institutes in Lebanon and abroad.
She has been invited to speak and lead workshops at international conferences in Rome, Stockholm, Zagreb, Tallinn, Richmond, Limassol, and Paris, and is the author of several publications exploring spirituality, sacred music, and the art of choral leadership.