Newsletter - Keshet Eilon Music Center

Newsletter
April 2016
Keshet Eilon Music Center Management: Itzick Sharir, Chair, Keshet Eilon Organization | Itzhak Rashkovsky, Music Director | Gilad Sheba, Managing Director | Nitza Avidan, VPO
Dear members of the Keshet Eilon Organization, donors, supporters and friends in Israel and throughout the world,
The summer of 2016 will mark 26 years of Keshet Elon’s consecutive activity. Meanwhile, the Keshet Eilon team
continues organizing the string seminars, the concert series open to the public, and other ongoing projects, while
preparing for the forthcoming summer Mastercourse.
With the approach of Passover, the festival of spring, we are pleased to send you this periodical newsletter reporting on
recent events in Keshet Eilon since our last newsletter in December 2015, including the changing of the guard in the
leadership of the Keshet Eilon Organization.
You will also find details about our future programs, including information about the 2016 summer Mastercourse.
We wish you a happy Passover and pleasant reading!
News from the Keshet Eilon Organization
Changing of the guard
A meeting of the Keshet Eilon Organization Executive Committee on March 6, 2016,
was devoted to changes in its leadership. Chairman Reuven Hasak (left), who has
held this position for 5 years, announced: “Having contributed what I can, I have
decided to retire, and we began a search to fill this position. The name Itzick Sharir
(right) came up, and after several discussions with him, Itzick agreed to take on this
position.”
Itzick introduced himself to the Executive Committee, which decided unanimously to appoint him as chairman of the
board of the organization.
Itzick Sharir, age 66, born in Israel, married to Miri (a member of the Keshet Eilon Finance and Building Committee), is the
father of 6 children and the grandfather of 6. A graduate of the Technion and Ben-Gurion Universities, he holds a Ph.D. in
engineering from IIT, Chicago, USA. A businessman with a distinguished career with CEO positions in Israel and abroad, he
is a board member of financial and industrial companies worldwide. Itzick is a devotee of music generally, and classical
music in particular. He has been an active supporter of the Keshet Eilon Organization for many years.
The committee parted from Reuven with gratitude for his contribution to the organization, the contacts that he made
with potential donors, and his professional management of the meetings of the board. (See details of the farewell event
to be held for Reuven on June 3, 2016).
The Keshet Eilon staff and all the members of the Keshet Eilon Organization join in thanking Reuven and in wishing our
new chairman success and productive endeavor in his new role.
Continuing the seminar tradition for Israeli string students: The 2015 Winter Seminar
As every year, we host Israeli violin and viola students from
all parts of the country in two intensive seminars, held in
the winter and spring. The growing number of applicants
who attend the seminar are now accommodated in the
new dormitories built in our campus, while the faculty of
teachers at the seminars has also grown accordingly. The
2015 Winter Seminar, held during December 31, 2015 January 2, 2016, was attended by 80 students, instructed
by 23 outstanding teachers and pianists.
Gal Shachar, a violin teacher at a neighboring Kibbutz in the
Galilee and an expert in Irish music, gives a lesson in Irish folk
music to the senior student ensemble (and later to the junior
ensemble).
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The junior ensemble, working with violinist Sophie Pikovsky and pianist Laura
Ahss, performs “The Bat” from Johann Strauss’ “The Fledermaus”
Farewell to the devoted faculty at the
seminar and best wishes for a happy
2016!
As we prepare this newsletter, the Spring Seminar is in full swing. See link to photos here or in the opening note
introducing the Newsletter
A Winter Weekend of beautiful sounds for friends of Keshet Eilon
Moving our traditional “Friends of Keshet Eilon Day” from the sizzling summer to the invigorating winter, we invited our
supporters and friends to lodge in the comfortable new student dormitories and dine in our new cafeteria.
During the weekend, our guests toured three music centers in the Arab sector and learned about Keshet Eilon’s outreach
to them.
Keshet Eilon collaborates with the unique Alkendi Music Center in the village of Jatt in the Triangle Region.
Approximately 90 students benefit from qualitative instruction at the music center.
Left photo: A performance for the guests by several students at the Alkendi Music Center. Right photo: Mohammad and Moussa
Khalaf, directors of the Center, with Reuven Hasak and Gilad Sheba at the presentation of a statue of a violin (hand made by Reuven
Hasak), as a gift from Keshet Eilon to the Alkandi Center.
Keshet Eilon assists the neighboring village Sheikh Danun for the third year in developing a violin instruction program in
its community center. The visiting group of friends was welcomed by Ahmad Samniya, director of the community center.
Several violin students performed, instructed by violinist Nabeel Abboud Ashkar, whose willingness to teach at the village
was deeply welcomed.
Left photo: Nabeel Aboud Ashkar (foreground) addresses the guests at Sheikh Danun, with Ahmad Samniya at right
Right photo: The group of young violinists perform for the guests
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The friends group visited the Polyphony Conservatory in
Nazareth and listened to remarks by its founder, Nabeel
Abboud Ashkar, who said: “We try at Polyphony to change the
image that classical music and Arab society don’t go together.
The graduates of this project are breaking this stigma and
displaying excellence.” Two of its students won first prizes at the
Paul Ben-Haim Competition in Israel last year, and graduates of
the conservatory study at academies of music today. “If there is
the will, we can change society both internally and externally,”
says Nabeel.
String students at the Polyphony Conservatory perform impressively
for the friends of Keshet Eilon.
Other features of the weekend included a fascinating discussion with photographer-artist Professor Simcha Shirman, who
visited Eilon during the summer of 2012 and was inspired by the Keshet Eilon activities and the gala concert in the Opera
House in Tel Aviv to produce fine works of art. The friends also attended a chamber music concert performed by the Pablo
Casals Music Festival players from Israel, France, Finland and Germany, and met with the musicians for a post-concert
discussion.
Additional photos of the Friends of Keshet Eilon Weekend can be viewed here or in the opening note introducing the
Newsletter
Announcing two future programs promoted by Keshet Eilon
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1. “Music Makers Festival,” to be inaugurated in the winter of 2018
A project initiated by pianist Angela Yoffe and violinist Vadim Gluzman, founders of the Chamber Music Festival in Chicago 6
years ago, will be copied in a similar festival – the Music Makers Festival in Israel, to be based in Keshet Eilon and using its
facilities over several days. Thereafter, additional concerts will be given in other concert halls in Israel.
The distinctiveness of the festival, based on its model in Chicago, is that the audience spends several days at Eilon together
with an ensemble of outstanding performers, and are invited to play an active role in the creative process, getting to know
the performers, dining with them, attending open rehearsals, and discussing aspects of the music which interest them.
Joining the Gluzman-Yoffe couple and Keshet Eilon in this project is Alex Bernstein, founder and manager of the Israeli
classical music Internet magazine Opus. The intention is to hold a series of benefit concerts in private homes featuring
Vadim and Angela, with all proceeds earmarked for the founding of the first Music Makers festival in Israel.
A first meeting with Vadim Gluzman and Angela Yoffe (far right) during the 2016 Winter Seminar, together with friends and musiclovers, to learn about the proposed Music Makers Festival in Israel and to discuss support and funding for it.
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A benefit concert at the home of Miri and Itzick Sharir in Kfar Saba featuring violinist Vadim Gluzman and pianist Angela
Yoffe attracted some 70 founders of the new Music Makers Festival at Keshet Eilon. Our thanks to the Sharir family for
opening their home for the event; to Vadim and Angela for the wonderful concert; and to the guests who contributed
generously to launch the new festival.
Please note: The second event to be devoted to the launch of the Music Makers Festival will take place on August 11, at
the close of the 2016 Summer Mastercourse, in the home of Beth and Norman Loberant in Nahariya, featuring the
Gluzman-Yoffe duo.
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2. Joint Poliphony and Keshet Eilon Seminar and Orchestra Project
An initiative by the Polyphony Education Foundation and Keshet Eilon has resulted in a joint seminar that will include
orchestral and social collaboration based on two guiding principles shared by Polyphony Education and Keshet Eilon:
excellence in music and its performance, and education in getting to know the other through music. The seminar will bring
together 50 young Jewish and Arab musicians from all parts of Israel who will work on selected music pieces and will
participate in social activities, discussions and lectures given by academicians to provide them with an understanding of the
global context of the works they play and how a music work connects them as musicians and as young people who can bring
about change in society.
The academic element of the program, titled “Music and Society,” was developed at the Cogut Center for the Humanities at
Brown University, Road Island, USA, and leading academicians in Israel such as Prof. Ruth Hacohen of the Hebrew University
and Dr. Amos Reich at the University of Haifa.
Two seminars will be held during 2016:
A seminar in April 2016 which will deal with “Music and Progress,” to be held in Nazareth during April 25-28, 2016 (the
intermediate days of Passover). The musicians will be accommodated in the Tabar Hotel with full dormitory facilities, and
will work in the Polyphony Conservatory nearby and in the hotel itself.
A seminar in October 2016 which will deal with “Music and Revolution,” to be held at Keshet Eilon, Kibbutz Eilon during
October 13-16, 2016. The musicians will be accommodated in the student dormitories at the Keshet Eilon campus with full
dormitory facilities, and will work in the Keshet Eilon concert hall and in surrounding spaces.
Each seminar will end with a festive final concert in the presence of families and invited guests.
Invitations to the seminar have been sent, and registration is at full force
(See also: Looking ahead – Future programs at Keshet Eilon, (page 9)
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News about the Keshet Eilon campus
Preparations for the next stage of construction in the campus, which will include such vital facilities as teaching rooms,
practice rooms, and faculty accommodations, are continuing. Architect Ada Carmi has volunteered to prepare the plans for
this stage on a volunteer basis. We send her warmest thanks, and our thanks as well to Aki Shavit who continues to oversee
the project.
The Keshet Eilon office will move from its present location to the campus. We thank Architect Yossi Friedman for designing
the new office on a voluntary basis.
Keshet Eilon graduates are prize-winners in competitions worldwide
Violist Nir Rom Nagy, currently a
student of Tatjana Masurenko in
Leipzig and a graduate of Keshet
Eilon, won a Commendation at the
America-Israel Cultural Foundation
Aviv Competition, and the Meira
Gera Audience Prize, donated by the
Gottesman family.
Violinist Emily Sun, a student of
Itzhak Rashkovsky at the Royal
College of Music, won the 64th
Annual Music Competition of the
Royal Overseas League held in
London in February 2016.
Violinist Ziyu He, a young Chinese student of
Paul Rozek at the Mozarteum University,
Salzburg, won first prize in the 1998-2000 age
group at the First International Mozart
Competition for Young Musicians in Zhuai,
China, September 2015. Ziyu also won first
prize in the 12th International Mozart
Competition in Salzburg in February 2016 and
a special prize for best interpretation of a work
by Austrian composer Gerhardt Weinberger.
Keshet Eilon congratulates the winners and their teachers!
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Kudos and visits
January 19, 2016: Young violinists Eesa Khoury and Mor Yanni,
students of Yevgeny After at the Rubin Conservatory in Haifa,
and at Keshet Eilon, performed with great success at the
inauguration of a new women’s wing of the Galilee Medical
Center, accompanied by pianist Michel Haj.
February 2016 The Keshet Eilon staff bids farewell to Dalya
Davidson (foreground) in gratitude and esteem for the many
years of her exceptional and devoted assistance to the Music
Director during the summer Mastercourse and the seminars
(2007-2016)
April 5, 2016 Some 80 members of Jewish communities
throughout the US who arrived in Israel to attend a
conference marking 20 years of the “Partnership” project
visited the Western Galilee, sponsored by Raya Strauss.
They attended a performance at Keshet Eilon by young
violinist Andre Haj, accompanied at the piano by his
brother Mishel Haj, both students at the Haifa
Conservatory, followed by a performance by violinist Carmi
Hadani. The guests toured the student dormitories and
cafeteria and learned about Keshet Eilon and its goals. We
hope that this visit too will result in support for the Keshet
Eilon Music Center.
Guest accommodations at Keshet Eilon
Keshet Eilon seeks to increase the use of its new facilities during the year. The comfortable student dormitories in the
Keshet Eilon campus are available to host families and various groups in the fields of music, sports or other interests during
the periods when the facilities are not required for Keshet Eilon activity. All proceeds are earmarked for the support of
Keshet Eilon’s music activities.
January 17-19, 2016: A contingent of 72 students from the
Jazz Department of the Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts,
led by Yossi Regev, were our guests for the 5th consecutive year,
taking advantage of the facilities at Keshet Eilon for a
three-day music retreat.
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March 4-5, 2016: Two student choirs – “Shani” from the Jezreel Valley Center for the Arts at Mizra, and "Sawa” from
Shefaram – held a combined social and music practice event during the weekend. The get-together was part of a joint
project organized by music teachers from Emek Yizrael who wanted to create a “shared sound” following the "Zuk Eitan"
war.
The choirs were led by conductors Alexandra Kim of the "Shani" Choir and Rahiv Haddad of the "Sawa" Choir
We were pleased to receive the following message from Lea Zait, organizer of the event, and we look forward to hosting
future choir events.
“I wish to thank you, on behalf of the staff of the Emek Yizrael Arts Center, for your exceptional hospitality at
our ‘Shani-Sawa’ event last week-end, March 4-5.
We were particularly impressed by your readiness to be involved in every part of the planning, and by your
advice regarding possibilities and scenarios which we hadn’t thought about beforehand.
The standard of the facilities was very high. The girls actually scolded us for not allowing them enough time
between activities to enjoy the rooms and the amazing landscapes visible from the balconies…
Tzippy and Assaf hosted us as if we were family, and provided solutions with a smile for every problem,
question or dilemma.
It wasn’t easy to organize an event involving 60 students – Jewish and Arab. The challenge was to build a tie
and a bridge in the context of a musical and cultural event, and thanks to you we succeeded. Everyone returned
home with a big smile and with the anticipation of the next get-together..…
Additional groups who are scheduled to arrive at Keshet Eilon are associated with sports, music and various other fields.
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The “Sounds of Keshet Eilon” Concert Series 2015-2016
The two remaining concerts in this season’s schedule are:
13.5.16
Please note the change in date!
About the Poet Raquel
Historian Moti Zeira, singer Meital Trabelsi and pianist Tomer Kling
illuminate the life story and works of the poet Raquel
3.6.16
The Amernet Quartet (USA)
The quartet returns to Eilon with a program of works by Beethoven,
Ulman and Schumann. Members of the quartet: Misha Vitenson, violin;
Tomas Cotik, violin; Michael Klotz, viola; Jason Calloway, cello
This last concert of the season will be dedicated to Reuven Hasak upon the
conclusion of his role as chairman of the Keshet Eilon Organization board, in the
presence of friends, active members of the organization and invited guests.
Details will follow.
For additional information press here:
The “Sounds of Keshet Eilon” Concert Series
For ticket reservations contact the office at Tel. 04-985-8191/131
Works by artist Maya Aton, titled “At the Threshold of Hearing,” are exhibited
in the foyer of the Bar-Uryan Concert Hall.
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The Keshet Eilon family shares the sorrow of:
Miriam Romm and family, upon the death of her mother Lonka (Israel)
Edward Luttwak and family, upon the death of his brother (USA)
Avigail Ofir and family, upon the death of her father Dov (Israel)
The Cohen family in Hanita, upon the death of mother and grandmother Rina (Israel)
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Looking Ahead – Future programs at Keshet Eilon
April 26-29, 2016
The first joint seminar of Polyphony and Keshet Eilon, in Nazareth.
May 18, 2016
Annual Benefit Concert at the Harmonie House in New York, with guest of honor
Patrick Drahi. Combining strings and voice, the program will feature tenor Kang
Wang of the Metropolitan Opera, New York, performing with Keshet Eilon
graduate violinists and faculty, and a re-enactment of the Alma Rosé “Viennese
Waltzing Girls Orchestra” of the 1930’s, led by violinist Ani Schnarch. We thank
Hamdi Kfir and the Lindman Program for Nurturing Young Artists at the
Metropolitan Opera for their assistance, and the Concert Committee led by
Josabeth Fribourg, Batya Kahane, Raquel Ramati and Gil Shiva.
June 3, 2016
A gathering of friends after the last concert of the season in honor of Reuven
Hasak, outgoing chairman of the board of the Keshet Eilon Organization
July 24 – August 11, 2016
The Keshet Eilon International String Mastercourse
The course will feature two main themes this summer:
The Spanish heritage, Ladino music, and Flamenco – an homage to the late
President of the State of Israel, Yitzhak Navon.
The legacy of Yehudi Menuhin, violinist of the twentieth century “Golden Age,”
marking his birth 100 years ago.
These two main themes are added to the ongoing activities of the course –
personal lessons, masterclasses, chamber music, the archery sports program, use
of the Violin and Bow-making Atelier, and social activities that enhance the
program.
August 3, 2016
The gala concert at the Opera House in Tel Aviv
August 11, 2016
A benefit concert at the home of Beth and Norman Loberant, Nahariya, as part of
the launch of the Music-Makers Festival in the winter of 2018.
October 13-19, 2016
The second joint seminar of Polyphony and Keshet Eilon, at Eilon.
December 15-17, 2016
The 2016 Winter Seminar for Israeli Violin and Viola Students
See updates on the Keshet Eilon site from May 2016 onwards: www.keshetei.org.il
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Keshet Eilon Music Center Committees
Executive Committee
Itzick Sharir, chair
Reuven Abel
Yardena Bar-Uryan
Oded Gera
Sara Guter Davidson
Ora Holin
Arik Karmon
Meir Lahav
Eli Lederman
Malka Lion
Miriam Romm
Karen Schipper
David Shemla
Myra Simon
Shmuel Tzur
Audit Committee
Friends, activists and supporters in Israel
Raphael Malka, chair
Gideon Goldstein
Zelma Rubinstein
Jaime Aron, chair
Tzafrira and Yehiel Admoni
Ornit and Zvi Agmon
Yoram Alroy
Avner Azulay
Dorit and Yehezkel Beinisch
Raya Strauss Bendror and
Shmuel Bendror
David Boas
Mundek Furer
Ariel and Yael Halperin
Ruth Heshin
Amos Horev
David Ivri
Morris Kahn
David Klein
Gabriela Shalev and Uzi Levy
Finance / Building Committee
Reuven Abel, chair
Yoram Blizovsky
Uzi Davidson
Shalom Drori
Meir Lahav
Miri Lent-Sharir
Aki Shavit, building advisor
Arts Committee
Yoav Gottesman, chair
Varda Bobrow
Ofra Raif
Reuven Hasak
(chair, Keshet Eilon Music Center Organization, 2011-2016)
Amnon Lion
Niva Lanir and Giora Morag
Abraham (Abe) and Judith Peled
Hemi Peres
Herbert Pundak
Giora Romm
Liora Shavit
Gil Shohat
Matan Vilnai
Naomi Yekutieli
Yehuda Zisapel
Idit Zvi
The late Meir Bar-Uryan
(chair, Keshet Eilon Music Center Management, 1996-2011)
We are glad that you were with us during these past activities, and we look forward to seeing you at our
forthcoming events. We would be grateful if you would send this newsletter to any of your acquaintances who
might be interested.
Dear friends and supporters, old and new alike,
Keshet Eilon’s 26th year of activity is well underway.
We are proud of the accomplishments we have reached
thus far, and we ask you to continue supporting our project
and its successes. Your ongoing assistance will enable us to
keep expanding Keshet Eilon’s reach for excellence in string
study and performance in Israel and throughout the world.
Photos: Misoun Hserme, Alon Kafri, Miriam Romm, Ritvo photography courtesy of Ozroth Hagalil, Sarit Uziely, Lea Zait.
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With best wishes,
The Keshet Eilon Team
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