The Orchestra’s Friends Association
We would like to thank and appreciate the contribution of our friends who allow us to grow continuously and expand the activity to new areas. Several of our national and global activities would not have been possible without the following friends:
Golden Members: Gil Tzeva (Chairman), Keren Bar Gil, Sally Ridman, Nurit Raz.
Silver Members: Arie & Marcel Goldberg, Nurit Lessing, Jenny Calvin, Jacky Deryi, Yaron & Sima Kantor, Ehud Itzhaki, Hezi Magriso, Sigal Bellinson, Nurit Yaglum.
Dear friends,
Jerusalem Orchestra East & West is a multicultural ensemble with musicians from all three religions, from all over the country, and from all sectors of Israeli society. Since its establishment 13 years ago, the Jerusalem Orchestra East & West has had no equal in the artistic field in Israel and around the world and its influence continues to grow.
By using the unique musical language developed in it, the orchestra presents musical treasures from Middle Eastern and North African countries to diverse audiences – from Russia and Poland to Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, and in joint projects with educational and cultural bodies – starting with the “Doonya” conservatory in the Katamon neighborhood and up to huge corporations such as Berkeley University, Boston, and the Walt Disney Company.
Under the leadership of Maestro Tom Cohen, the orchestra based its work on uncompromising musical excellence, while looking and feeling responsible for the present and future of culture in Israel. Therefore, alongside the excellent international reputation and proven successes, young orchestras were founded and are being founded on behalf of the orchestra and under the close professional guidance of Maestro Cohen throughout the country – from the Negev fields in the south to Acre in the north – in an East-West format.
Community Outreach
Looking back, we see the artistic and cultural traditions that became our foundations and we find it important to conserve and impart these traditions to the next generation. Looking ahead, we aspire to create a reservoir of musicians who will be able to find a place with us, or in similar orchestras, as they bring their generation’s spirit to enrich and expand the musical language we strive to develop and improve.
Here is a review of our educational activity over recent years:
- Over several months, the students of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance High School learned the orchestra’s adaptations under the guidance of Gilad Vaknin. The project peaked in rehearsals and a joint concert held in front of an audience of parents.
- A joint project with the Regional Council of Sdot Negev, in which the Sdot Negev Youth Orchestra was founded, conducted under Alona Maman on behalf of the orchestra. Alona also writes the adaptations with guidance from the orchestra.
- A unique initiative with the Kivunim company in Beer-Sheva in which we founded the East & West South Ensemble, which consists of an authentic ensemble of musicians working under the guidance of Piytan Yossi Revach. In this ensemble, the musicians learn the orchestra’s adaptations and young and amateur musicians are exposed to our musical language.
- A collaboration with Alsheik School for traditional music in Tel Aviv. During this collaboration, the piytan Ziv Yehezkel taught the “One Thousand and One Nights” concert repertoire to the East & West Choir we co-founded. The participants learned language, musical scales, tradition, and history. At the peak of the project, they performed with this project in all ten of the series concerts. Next year, the choir is scheduled to perform with the orchestra in two series in the season.
- We are co-founders of Musico – an online music teaching start-up through which millions of users around the world learn to play Mediterranean classics in the orchestra’s adaptations.
- A collaboration with Maqamat Academy – School of Eastern Music in Safed. Through this collaboration, the students from Maqamat Ensemble learned to play original creations composed by the orchestra’s musicians under their personal guidance.
- Voice of Angels: A joint project with a group of children who have Down Syndrome and inclusive children who get to know each other and learn to collaborate through music. A long process of creating personal bonds between the orchestra’s musicians and the kids while exposing them to the orchestra’s unique instruments and sounds.
- Collaboration with the Tamar Regional Council in which children from this municipality learned to play the Baglama through a book and a methodology developed at the orchestra.
- Master Class workshops: teaching the orchestra’s language and rationale (the role of music in conflict regions) in various frameworks. Starting with kids in the Eilat Goldwater High School, through the Ministry of Labor’s employees, online film and music festivals in the US, and a conference for festival directors.
Founding additional youth orchestras: East & West North, in Acre, was just founded and held its very first rehearsal during the Arabesque Festival in Acre; a joint youth orchestra for Qalansawe and Kfar Yona, and the feather in our cap – founding a Jerusalem youth orchestra with the mayor’s encouragement.
With warm greetings,
Adv. Gil Tzeva
Chairman of The Orchestra’s Friends Association
