As in years past, the JMC is rolling out a top-notch lineup of Israeli and international acts that will play once or twice monthly throughout the season, which kicks off November 5 with Orchester Jackobsplatz, straight from Germany. What makes this series special, besides for the talent, is the fact that the shows are played in the YMCA at a price accessible to regular Yossies.
Most of the acts, like the Jerusalem Quartet (pictured, in black, looking up, February 4th), the Ariel Quartet (pictured, in black, with cello, March 18th), the Israeli Chamber Project (May 27th) are local, many of them taking advantage of the large community of musically-talented Russian ex-pats currently living in Israel.
Other groups, such as The Doric Quartet (April 15th), the American String Quartet (December 3rd) and others, hail from around the globe. The two-man orchestra of PercaDu (pictured, doing Kung Fu, May 6), which had to cancel a show
last season at the last moment, will play a special concert this year
toward the end of the season. As subscribers to the series know, the series’ repertoire can vary from tried and true classical composers like Mozart, to newer pieces from Israeli artists and even some klezmer thrown in.
The concert series, which is designed to make classical music more accessible, has been a Jerusalem institution since 2006. By bringing chamber ensembles to the YMCA, at cheaper prices than usually expected for performers as high in profile as these, the Jerusalem Music Center is hoping to expose a wider audience to an art form that has been bequeathed an air of upper crustiness in the past century.
“Everything remains at a high level, except the price,” The Music Center’s director, Hed Sella, explained to Haaretz back when the series first launched.
Full details about the series can be found at the Jerusalem Music Center’s website here.
