2009 Jeux de la Francophonie players. Total Games medal count The 2009 Jeux de la Francophonie games closing ceremony took place in BIEL, downtown Beirut, on 7 September. The festivities were opened with a classical concert led by conductor Harout Fazlian, followed by a folkloric African music concert specially composed for the occasion. Eliya Francis and Cynthia Samaha interpreted Mozart's opera Bastien und Bastienne, and the following set by Canzone Napoletana was also interpreted by Francis. A large Zorba ring preceded the concert of the Lebanese pop artist Ragheb Alama accompanied by belly dancers. The festivities ended with an electronic music event by the Franco
The New Opera Theatre with I Cantori di New York, "Dido and Æneas", with Thaïs St Julien as Dido and Susannah Waters as Belinda, with Bart Folse conducting. The production was first seen at New York City's Symphony Space, then in New Orleans. In 1989, The NOT presented the New Orleans premiere of "Pelléas et Mélisande" (with Tracey Mitchell as Mélisande), which was followed by "Bastien und Bastienne", and the world-premiere of Dr LaBruyère's "Everyman", after the mediaeval Morality Play. The New Opera Theatre's final presentation was of a Benefit Concert, in the fall of 1989, featuring Natalia Rom. Folse and Morgan went on