Welcome

It is my utmost pleasure to cordially welcome you to the fifth edition of THE SOUNDING JERUSALEM FESTIVAL – a music festival for all people living in Jerusalem and the surrounding region, irrespective of their ethnic, social and religious affiliation. Offering free and equal access to all our cultural events, we encourage everyone to discover our concerts and find their own interpretation of its artistic thought.

I am very proud to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the festival together with you and to reminisce about its development over the last few years. SOUNDING JERUSALEM began as a classical chamber music festival with the mission to give a multicultural society a new communicational impetus. Chamber music as a social utopian dream – discussion partners with equal rights who are not only expected to express their thoughts and feelings but also to listen and to react in a sensitive way. An exchange without words, the content of which is not arbitrary but fundamental and profoundly human.

Together with top-class musicians as “communicative catalysts”, this remains the main motivation for SOUNDING JERUSALEM.

What has changed greatly since the last year, is the intensified trans-cultural orientation of the festival. Not only will classical Western chamber music promote a friendly dialogue, but Oriental music will also play an equally important role for the artistic communication. The musicians participating in SOUNDING JERUSALEM follow the sounds of the city, deal with the “familiar” and the “unknown” and interweave their discoveries to form new musical connections.

I am looking forward to sharing two harmonic weeks with you which revolve around music and people. Enthralling programmes, outstanding prominent artists and intellectual openness enable us to listen, open up, perceive, reflect upon and exchange with others around us.

I wish you all an intriguing and inspiring time,

Erich Oskar Huetter
(Artistic Director)