In honor of the upcoming Jerusalem Day, Channel 24 will be setting up an “open studio” in Zion Square (Kikar Tzion). Throughout the month, the studio will feature Jerusalem artists and notable figures – providing a much-needed boost to both Jerusalem’s burgeoning music scene and its gentrifying city center.
GoJerusalem.com spoke with Orna Datz (yes, that Orna Datz of Eurovision fame), who will be hosting a The View-like talk show from the glassed-in studio. “I’ve been hosting programs for Channel 24 for a year now, and I love that there is a music movement in Israel which we really see through the open studios,” she said. “There are a lot of different people into a lot of different music which is great. I don’t know what to expect from the Jerusalem Open Studio. It’s the capital, it’s a holy city, but it’s also a cultural center. I don’t know what to expect, but we’re here for a month, which really gives us a chance to get to know the city.”
Although Channel 24 is Israel’s version of MTV, Datz’s show will feature Jerusalemites of all shapes and sizes – not just musicians. “I don’t know yet exactly which artists will be coming to the open studio,” she says, “but we are going to bring in all sorts of people who are connected to Jerusalem – all types of Jerusalemites: politicians, restaurant owners, and, of course, musicians. There are a lot of musicians who were born in Jerusalem, who live there. The Jerusalem music scene used to be a lot more underground. Now it’s much more out there, many more musicians are coming out of Jerusalem. They may not stay here, but its definitely fostering more music than it used to. There are more music venues here now, more musicians. I’m really interested, really excited to work there, to see what we’re going to uncover in the coming months.”
