The 25th edition of the Jerusalem International Oud Festival, a Confederation House Jerusalem production, will take place from November 21 – 30, 2024. “I believe in music,” stated Artistic Director and Confederation House Director Effie Benaya, “I believe in its power to heal the heart – of the individual, and of us all. I believe that music contains comfort and hope, especially in such blood-filled and unbearably difficult times as ours. That is why we at the Confederation House were determined to hold the International Oud Festival this year – which includes, as always, the deep, shared roots of the cultures of the peoples of this region, near and far. We have prepared a rich and diverse program, that is an optimistic vision that clings to life, and the possibility and necessity to continue to imagine a shared existence, above and beyond all borders: from Hadag Nahash, who connects one of the central works of the Jewish canon – The Book of Psalms – to contemporary Israeli music, to music from Armenia, Tunisia, Yemen, India and Israel, as well as tributes to the greatest composers and singers of the Arab world.”
The festival, now celebrating a quarter century of music, will feature original productions, album launches, and performance premieres, with performances taking place at the Confederation House, the Jerusalem Theatre, the National Library, the Yellow Submarine, and the Mizkaka.
Festival Highlights
Opening the festival will be Hadag Nahash: Music for the Book of Psalms, an original production created for the festival. Diving deep into the heart of Jewish culture’s central works, the Book of Psalms, the band presents a new and original interpretation, connecting the lyrics to contemporary music, mixing hip-hop with electro, punk, and Mediterranean sounds. Thursday, November 21st at 20:30, Sherover Hall, Jerusalem Theatre.
Another festival original production dedicated to one of the treasures of Jewish culture is composer, musician and vocalist Shem Tov Levy’s original music for the Song of Songs. Originally created for the 2022 Oud Festival, Shem Tov Levy will perform with Micha Shitrit and Maayan Linik, as well as the Shem Tov Levy Ensemble and the Kol Dodi Ensemble of the Rimon School of Music, directed by Avner Kenner. The performance will take place on Wednesday, November 27th at 20:30, the National Library.
Closing the festival will be Shalom Hanoch, one of Israeli music’s greatest, with guests – singer, composer and pianist Shlomi Shaban and oud player, violinist and singer Yair Dalal. The show will include Hanoch’s hits from his many years as a performer: mehakim lemashiah, bagilgul hazeh, ma atah oseh kesheata kam baboker, maya, kacha vekacha, ahavat neuray, and sof onat hatapuzim. Saturday, November 30th at 21:00, Sherover Hall, Jerusalem Theatre.
Rakesh Chaurasia from India, who is considered the leading bansuri flute player of his generation, will present Music for Peace and Brotherhood, in his first solo performance in Israel. The successor of his uncle and teacher Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (who performed in Israel many times), Rakesh Chaurasia is a virtuoso of the bamboo flute, the bansuri, as well as the traditional melodic structures of the raga and the tala. He won two Grammy Awards in 2024 and has participated in soundtrack recordings for Bollywood and performed with classical music orchestras and collaborated with many jazz and fusion musicians, including Joshua Redman, Bela Falk and the great tabla player Zakir Hussain. Performing with Chaurasia will be Kalinath Mishra on table. The performance will take place on Monday, November 25th at 21:00, Rebecca Crown Hall, Jerusalem Theatre.
Trio Zariab will come together for a rare performance at the festival. Oud player Taiseer Elias, the artistic director of the trio, with violinist Naseem Dakwar and percussionist Zohar Fresco, began performing together 30 years ago. Their music reflects both the tradition of Arabic music, as well as improvisation and interpretation, performing works by the great Arab composers, including Muhammad Abd al-Wahhab, Riyad al-Sunbati and Muhammad al-Kasabji, as well as by the great Turkish composers, including Cemil Bey Tanburi, Mesut Cemil Bey and others. The performance will take place Saturday, November 30th at 20:30 at the Confederation House.
One of my favorite festival traditions is the tribute concert to the greats of 20th century Arab music, curated and performed by Prof. Taiseer Elias and his ensemble. This year, the concert will be dedicated to the works of Umm Kolthoum, Muhammad Abd al-Wahab, Farid al-Atrash, and Abd al-Halim Hafez. Ensemble soloist vocalists Violet Salameh and Maamun Zayud are well-known worldwide, and they will be joined for this concert by Faysel Benhaddou from Morocco, who will perform the songs of Abd al-Wahab and Abd al-Halim Hafez. The performance will take place Wednesday, November 27th at 21:00, Sherover Hall, Jerusalem Theatre.
The full program and additional information may be found on the Confederation House Jerusalem website. Tickets may be ordered online from Bimot, or call *6226. Tickets for the National Library of Israel and the Mazkeka may be ordered through those venues.
