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Opening Sounding Jerusalem Festival
Yesterday, 15 June 2008, the third edition of the Sounding Jerusalem was ceremoniously opened in the drawing room of the Austrian Hospice at Via Dolorosa in the Old Town of Jerusalem.
This year, the young chamber music festival presents again regional and international artists in more than 20 concerts in the Westbank, Israel and Jerusalem. At the most historically important and unusal venues and natural sightings, a mixed audience will meet to hear classical chamber music, but also contemporary compositions and improvisations to old musical traditions.
Sounding Jerusalem aims to be a meeting place for artistic exchange for all people - regardless their religious, social and cultural
background.
This was also shown by the opening concert, sold out weeks in advance, in which next to works of Schubert, Kreisler and Rota a „Melange Oriental" was offered - a musical journey through the different quarters of the Old Town of Jerusalem. At the end of the piece, the prayer of the Muezin could be heard through the open windows which, even unintentionally, gave an even more lively sound image of this colourful city.
The artists performing were the Swiss violinist Esther Hoppe, the Arcus Ensemble with festival director Erich Oskar Huetter playing the cello, the Austrian pianist and composer Stefan Heckel and the Israeli Oud virtuoso Taiseer Elias.
The audience consisted of several european diplomats like ambassador John Kjaer who is Head of the European Commission delegation to the West Bank and Gaza as well as music enthusiasts from the whole region. Among them was a group of young Palestinians from the youth care centre Wadi Joz in East Jerusalem who became curious about the concert due to following the preparations for a workshop with the Viennese painter Maria Tupay Duque. Together with the musicians of the festival Maria Tupay Duque will realize workshops with children and teenagers also in Bethlehem, Deir Ghassana, Jenin and Jericho. Inspired by chamber music they will produce paitings which will be used as decor for the concerts of the festival.
Among the invited artists of the festival are the Artis Quartett from Vienna, the young Finnish quartet Meta4 and the German Minguett quartet, well known for its interpretations of contemporary music.
Expected highlights of the festival are an early morning sunrise concert with works by Mozart and Puccini performed on the Mount of Temptation in Jericho as well as the festivals big finale with 35 international and regional brass players performing on different roofs of the Old City, filling the air of Jerusalem with fascinating sounds.
The Sounding Jerusalem Festival is supported by the European Commission, the Austrian Foreign Ministery and several representative offices and embassies.
The festival has become increasingly popular during the last three years. The numbers of seat reservations indicate an even stronger run on the concerts than in former seasons.
The Sounding Jerusalem Festival is open to everyone interested in music, inviting people from different religious and ideological backgrounds to its free concerts. It aims to give a fresh impetus through unique concert experiences in order to encourage the intercultural dialog and a creative exchange across the boarders.
You can find further information about the artists and the program at
Chamber Music Festival Sounding Jerusalem 2008
Dear Friends of Austrian Music!
You are cordially invited to the third edition "Sounding Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival" which will take place from 15 June to 5 July 2008!
About 75 excellent artists from all over the world will perform in 21 festival concerts, meeting on the roofs and in churches of the Old City, Palestinian villages like Ras Karkar, Deir Ghassana and Zababdeh as well as in atmospheric, historic settings in West-Jerusalem.
The Festival was initiated by the Austrian cellist and festival director Erich Oskar Huetter and is supported by the Austrian Hospice of the Holy Family, the Austrian Cultural Forum Tel Aviv and other European institutions and governments.
As a meeting point for everyone, the festival invites unconditionally all communities of the city to enjoy together with the artists a musical journey through the historic heart of Jerusalem. With the purpose of stimulating all senses and showing many different artistic aspects, the festival's rich and innovative programme contains highlights of the classical Western chamber music, musical masterpieces from the oriental culture as well as exciting creations like world premieres of contemporary chamber music concerts and musical improvisations. This year, "Sounding Jerusalem" is presenting a further highlight: the Austrian painter Maria Tupay Duque has created workshops for children and young people.
For further information and ticket reservations please have a look at www.soundingjerusalem.com or or mail (info@soundingjerusalem.com).