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Music
and dance
Israeli music contains musical
influences from all over the world; Sephardic music,
Hasidic melodies, Belly dancing music, Greek music, jazz,
and pop rock are all part of the music scene.
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Zubin Mehta
The nation's canonical folk songs,
known as "Songs of the Land of Israel," deal
with the experiences of the pioneers in building the
Jewish homeland.
Among Israel's world-renowned
orchestras is the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, which has
been in operation for over seventy years and today
performs more than two hundred concerts each year. Israel
has also produced many musicians of note, some achieving
international stardom. Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman
and Ofra Haza are among the internationally acclaimed
musicians born in Israel.
Israel has participated in the
Eurovision Song Contest nearly every year since 1973,
winning the competition three times and hosting it
twice.Eilat has hosted its own international music
festival, the Red Sea Jazz Festival, every summer since
1987.
Modern dance in Israel is a
flourishing field, and several Israeli choreographers such
as Ohad Naharin, Rami Beer, Barak Marshall and many
others, are considered to be among the most versatile and
original international creators working today. Famous
Israeli companies include the Batsheva Dance Company and
the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company.
Israel is home to many Palestinian
musicians, including internationally acclaimed oud and
violin virtuoso Taiseer Elias, singer Amal Murkus, and
brothers Samir and Wissam Joubran. Israeli Arab musicians
have achieved fame beyond Israel's borders: Elias and
Murkus frequently play to audiences in Europe and America,
and oud player Darwish Darwish (Prof. Elias's student) was
awarded first prize in the all-Arab oud contest in Egypt
in 2003. The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance has an
advanced degree program, headed by Taiseer Elias, in
Arabic music.
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