Sounding Jerusalem 2009

Chamber Music Festival for the people of Jerusalem and its region

The chamber music festival Sounding Jerusalem was founded in 2006. It has since been held annually. It aims at establishing and developing a cultural dialogue between Europeans, Israelis and Palestinians wearing all possibilities of the present social and political situation in the region.

Stimulating concerts as well as workshops for children and teens help level cultural differences and overcome human boundaries: Music and especially chamber music serves as a model facilitating the communication process through a common language and a base for discussion.

“Sounding Jerusalem“ is a classical Chamber Music festival taking place in Jerusalem’s Old City and its surroundings, a place of encounters for people from different religious, ethnic and social backgrounds.

With more than 30 performances every year, mostly in June/July, it has become a cultural forum where Israelis, Palestinians and Europeans meet. Concerts take place in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Tel Aviv, Nablus, Jericho, Abu Gosh, and many other venues. Moreover the festival strives to facilitate accessibility to culture and art for young people from disfavoured backgrounds introducing them to an international exchange. Workshops and seminars are organized in collaboration with local institutions promoting intercultural activities and social development.

Participation in international cultural exchange

Internationally renowned musicians, artists and professors are invited to participate in the festival, where they perform together with local artists. Concerts provide an open platform to communicate and meet with the people in and around Jerusalem.

During recess and after the concerts, musicians meet and discuss openly with the public; the audience is invited to join talks and to reflect on the performance. In the old city of Jerusalem, entrance is either free of charge or very low priced, hence attracting socially and economically disfavoured population groups. Consequently people are mixing and a dynamic participation is ensured.

Targets and impact

“Sounding Jerusalem” addresses all the different segments of population living in the melting pot of Jerusalem and in the Palestinian territories; it aims at waking up the curiosity each carries within herself/himself to discover new horizons.

A rich and diversified program offers classical music but also an intercultural crossover series named “mélange oriental” looking for common and diverse music traditions. Interdisciplinary workshops and performances with children of the region are tightly related to the festival and organized in cooperation with local social networks.

“Sounding Jerusalem” travels around the region performing not only in the old city of Jerusalem, but also in West Jerusalem and the immediate surroundings in Israel as well as in the autonomous territories of the Palestinian Authority. Its purpose is to waive the numerous travel obstacles at least in people’s minds, it gives new artistic impetus overcoming borders to play here and there; all the different population groups should be able to attend the concerts.

Background information and partner institutions

The Austrian cellist Erich Oskar Huetter under the framework of the Austrian EU presidency founded the festival in 2006. Erich Oskar Huetter had been working for some years beforehand for Daniel Barenboim’s youth orchestra and music kindergarten in Ramallah. The project has been strongly supported during the last years by the Austrian Hospice in Jerusalem, which has offered its unique premises for concerts, festival organisation, and furthermore provided boarding for musicians and organisation team.

Other important partners have been the Austrian cultural forum in Tel Aviv, the Austrian Development agency, the city of Vienna, the province of Styria, the European Commission in Jerusalem, the German Foreign Ministry, the French cultural institutes in East Jerusalem (CCF Chateaubriand) and West Jerusalem (CCF Romain Gary), the Dutch representation office, the Finnish Foreign Ministry. Other embassies in Tel Aviv and representation offices to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah have been involved in the project such as Belgium, Slovenia, Switzerland, Australia and Japan.

The non profit association of public interest “Verein A.M.U.S.E.” Austrian Music Encounter seated in Graz, Styria, is the legal representative and organiser of the festival with Erich Oskar Huetter as its Chairman.

FUTURE PROJECTS 2008/2009

Broadening the organisation on the spot

Up until now, two young Austrian cultural professionals, Petra Klose and Christina Beck, under the artistic direction of Erich Oskar Huetter with the help of some volunteers during the implementation phase, have run the festival.

Last year’s huge success and growing demand on the ground confirmed the need for an enhancement of the organisation team. To ensure the lasting effects of the project in all layers of the population and increase its visibility, it is necessary to add two local assistants to the organisation team. Preference would be given to women already active in social networks in the Jerusalem area. It would establish a direct contact with the already existing networks for the promotion of women and youth in the cultural field, supporting cultural activities, increasing and developing ties all year around.

Building ties with the youth

New projects are planned in 2009 besides the festival, a music composition project “Kids compose for kids”; a meeting and exchange project for Israelis and Palestinian children, and also an interdisciplinary music theatre project for children from all social layers. It should enable children in the formative years to participate and dive in this cultural process.

The music theatre project will allow children and youth to discover their own creative resources and to develop them: three coaches will work together with the participants, singing, playing music, theatre, dancing, pantomime, painting and stage building, trying to release the maximum positive energy and joy while helping in self knowledge and expression of own feelings.

Vision over the city: the roof concert

After last year’s fulminating Finale of 2008 Festival (see BBC 2 reportage), there will be another production of the “roof concert”.

Forty young musicians, playing wind instruments from all over Europe, Israel and the Palestinian Territories will perform a composition created especially for the occasion binding the different districts of Jerusalem’s old city. Over the roofs of the Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Armenian quarters, young musicians send a “sound “message. Music achieves in the air what is not yet possible on the ground for political and social reasons: the participation of an ethnic, cultural and religious diversity in a peaceful and stimulating dialogue.

Highlight: ”Sounding Jerusalem”, a movie on the screen

Elisabeth Scharang, Austrian journalist and film director accompanied the festival in 2008 with her camera. She directed among other films, “Mein Mörder”, “Tintenfischalarm”, “Meine liebe Republik”, “Franz Fuchs, Ein Patriot”, which obtained her international rewards and recognition.

The film première will be presented during “Sounding Jerusalem 2009”, a very human approach to Jerusalem.

Elisabeth Scharang is well known for her empathy, her respect for people, a sound and subtle approach to socio political themes and simplicity.

She has dealt in her work with important themes, among which, National Socialism and its consequences, trans-sexuality, psychological portraits of the Austrian society and their extreme manifestations, through examples of personal stories of individuals.