The orchestra was founded in 2002, through the initiative of Dr. Meir Wiesel, Director of Youth and Music Israel. In 2008, the renowned composer and Oud player and violinist Professor Taisser Elias became the orchestra’s Musical Director and conductor, incorporating the Arab-Jewish Ensemble in the orchestra and creating collaboration between the Youth and Music NPO and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.
The repertoire is based on a mixture of East and West, reflected also in the instruments, ranging from the Oud and Kanoon up to the Cello and Violin. A new sound and a new music are thus created, developing a repertoire of newly composed or arranged works, both original as well as works taken from Oriental Arabic or Jewish traditions.
Concerts are performed throughout Israel, in Jewish as well as Arab locations. In addition, AJYO has performed on 5 European concert tours.
In 7 years of its existence the orchestra has proven to be a real success, both musically and socially. It has succeeded in developing a new kind of music, which combines the Arab, Jewish and western cultures. The young musicians travel great distances to participate in rehearsals and performances, and when on stage they prove to the audience that harmony and coexistence are in fact possible.
The first video below is an introduction to the Arab-Jewish Youth Orchestra. The second video is a performance by the orchestra at the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Enjoy!
(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS: THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)
Posts
If everyone would get to know each other in ways other than war, they would find out that "the other" is very much like themselves.
ReplyDelete