Gholmieh was the director of the Le Conservatoire libanais national supérieur de musique or The Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music. He was considered one of the most prominent Middle-Eastern conductors and composers. Born in Marjeyoun, Lebanon, he initially studied Mathematics at the American University of Beirut before dedicating his education and life to music.

He was the founder of both the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra and the Lebanese National Arabic Oriental Orchestra.

Established in 2000, the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Dr. Gholmieh was able to prove itself both locally and regionally. In a period of 25 months, the Orchestra presented more than 60 performances in different cities, including a varied international repertoire by world-renowned classical music composers.

On August 2, 2002, Dr. Gholmieh lead the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra at the Baalbeck International Festival.

On April 17, 2006, Dr. Gholmieh lead the Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music in a captivating evening of Arabic music classics at the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation annual festival.[3]

Lebanese conductor Walid Gholmieh directs the Lebanese l National Symphony Orchestra at the opening of Beiteddine International Festival in the Shouf region of Mt Lebanon on June 25, 2010.

He has also headed the panel of judges on the Lebanese, television talent show, “Studio el Fan,” which is credited for launching the careers of many Lebanese and Arab artists.

Dr. Gholmieh composed the Iraqi national anthem, “Ardulfurataini Watan” (Land of Two Furat Rivers) that was in use from 1979 until 2003.

Walid Gholmieh, was featured on the latest album by Damon Albarn’s virtual band, Gorillaz. The album, ‘Plastic Beach,’ was released on March 9 2010,With a track called White Flag.

Sari Abboud, known as Massari, was born in Beirut is a Lebanese Canadian R&B singer who grew up in Canada. He started his musical career in 2001.

My goal

“To get down to 3 per cent body fat. I’m 165 pounds now with 12 per cent body fat, down from 23 per cent. I want to get my body to a certain point where if I have to look extremely good for a video, it’ll only take two weeks.”

My workout

“I’m in training with The Winning Factor, led by Pennsylvania-based John Schaeffer, who trains Anton Apolo Ohno and other Olympians from different sports.

“I do two workouts per day and exercise seven days a week using his Static Tension Principle: a 10-second hold immediately after 10 repetitions of an exercise, instead of resting between sets. We also do drills between exercises. Here’s a typical training day:

“I’m up at 8:30 a.m., have a pre-workout meal, which is oatmeal, coconut oil, colostrum powder and peanut butter and I have three spoons of this before the gym. I take vitamin D, calcium and glutamine before bed to facilitate recovery. No dairy – it makes fat.”

Strength: “Leg press. The first exercise is always six sets of 10 reps, from then on three sets of 10 reps.”

Cardio: “I grab dumbbells (ranging between 15 and 40 pounds on each arm), put them on my shoulders and run up and down stairs, and then every second step, twice.”

Strength: “Leg press again, then squats.”

Cardio: “Stairs again.”

Strength: “Next is one-leg squats.”

Cardio: “Stairs.”

Strength: “Leg extensions, and at this point, I’m praying for the Lord to take me, I can’t even breathe.”

Cardio: “Running up and down stairs, and then every other step, for speed and endurance 10 to 15 times.”

Strength: “Hamstrings.”

Abs: “One exercise is lying down with bent knees and I grab a 40-pound dumbbell at my feet, bring it up and over my knees to my chest and back down.”

Intervals: “Treadmill drills for 20 minutes: one minute at 4.5, one minute at 7, one minute at 9, one minute at 5.5, then 10, and so on.”

Meal: “I eat chicken, broccoli, sweet potato and rice.”

Cardio: “An hour and a half later, I hit the steps again, and then do 60 minutes of cardio. “

Meal: “I have chicken and pineapple.”

Rest of the week: “Chest and triceps; back and biceps; shoulders and boxing; the last day is a combination of everything.”

My lifestyle

“I constantly tour Europe, the Middle East and Australia, so I’m conditioning and following a strict diet to avoid the chance of getting sick.”

My motivation

“Sex appeal and image is crucial for the entertainment world. To sell a product I need to package it in a way that will bring interest from my female fan base, so I can fulfill their fantasies.”

My anthem

“I listen to Swedish House of Mafia, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.”

My challenge

“Everyday temptations of bread.”

The Globe and Mail

Gorillaz are an English virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl. The band’s eponymous debut album, released in 2001, sold over seven million copies and earned them an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Successful Virtual Band.

Their second studio album, Demon Days, was released in 2005 and included the singles “Feel Good Inc.”, “Dare”, and “Dirty Harry”. Demon Days went five times platinum in the UK, double platinum in the United States and earned five Grammy Award nominations for 2006. The combined sales of Gorillaz and Demon Days had, by 2007, exceeded 15 million albums. (BeatCrave & Wikipedia)