Inside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, January 5, 2019. Contextual file photo: Bukvoed / CC BY 4.0.
Photo: Bethlehem-Nativity-128 by Bukvoed, CC BY 4.0. Resized Wikimedia rendition; no crop or other edit by Scapi.
Constellation released BETHLEHEM بيت لحم on October 16, bringing together choir director Lawrence Sammour and Beirut musicians Sary Moussa and Abed Kobeissy.
The label’s album page lists ten tracks, drawing on Arabic-language hymns from the Greek Orthodox tradition of Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity. Sammour recorded vocals in Bethlehem, with instrumental compositions developed in Beirut.
Release coverage published October 16 by The Experiment, recounting the project’s supplied history, traces its origins to a Wonder Cabinet and Radio alHara commission broadcast on Christmas Eve 2023 during canceled celebrations.
The label says the musicians initially could not travel to meet. Their first concert together came in Utrecht in November 2024; a Beirut & Beyond residency produced further recordings in 2025.
Studio and live material from 2023–2025 was mixed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh at Hotel2Tango in Montréal and mastered by Harris Newman.
On October 17, the label’s Bandcamp page offered the digital album for $9 US or more, alongside vinyl and CD editions.
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