Polyphony Foundation

Breaking News from ABC: Polyphony Breaks Down Barriers, Shatters Stereotypes, and Unites Arab and Jewish Youth in Israel

admin — Tue, 14 May 2013 21:54:42 +0000

After performing a concert at the Museum of Tolerance in LA, Polyphony musicians on tour in the United States were interviewed by KABC News. The musicians (Arab Muslim, Arab Christian, and Jewish) were brought together through a collaborative project between Polyphony Education and the Jerusalem Music Center, to create channels of communication through music. These youth rehearse together on a regular basis when in Israel, taking turns commuting back and forth between Nazareth, Kibbutz Harduf, and Tel Aviv. Their visit to the US in May included stops in LA, Dallas, Washington D.C., and New York City.

Musicians: Hagit Bar Sella (Kibbutz Harduf), Yamen Saadi (Nazareth), David Margalit (Tel Aviv), and Nasif Francis (Nazareth)

May Explained Concerts

admin — Sat, 11 May 2013 22:15:25 +0000

On May 21st, 22nd, and 24th, the Galilee Chamber Orchestra will be performing Explain Concerts for children in Polyphony Education’s Alhan: Music Appreciation Program. An “explained concert” is a classical music concert performed by a full symphonic orchestra, which includes a commentator who talks to audience through the piece being performed, pointing out musical phrases that the students have studied throughout the semester and engaging the audience with questions about the music and instruments. Students in Polyphony’s Music Appreciation program are brought together at the end of each semester in a large auditorium to listen to these concerts. Each concert is attended by around 500 Jewish and Arab students who come from the Galilee Region and Jaffa.

This year Polyphony Education, with funding from the Israeli education and culture non-profit, Sal Tarbut, has added an additional Explained Concert for high school students in Nazareth, Nazareth Ilite, and surrounding villages. This is the first time that Polyphony is able to bring together Arab and Jewish high school students with an Explained Concert.

Music and the City Scholar-in-Residence Seminar

admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:41:09 +0000

Polyphony conservatory held a second scholar-in-residence seminar, titled Music and the City. This seminar brought together fifteen young Jewish musicians and fifteen Arab students from our Nazareth conservatory to participate in a 5-day workshop consisting of rehearsals, academic discussions, and a final concert. The students were encouraged to examine their own musicianship in the broader context of civil society, through discussions led by renowned international professors. The seminar was attended by teachers who came from all over Israel, and scholars from Brown University, Tel Aviv University, and Hebrew University. At the end of the seminar, the youth orchestra performed Schubert’s 5th Symphony in Nazareth, to an audience of Arab and Jewish community and family members.

Polyphony Youth Quartet Tours USA

admin — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 01:08:44 +0000

Last week concluded the Polyphony Youth Quartet’s concert tour in the United States. The Polyphony Youth Quartet is a joint collaboration between Polyphony Education and the Jerusalem Music Centre. The Quartet visited Troy, Michigan, where they performed at Kensington Community Church in front of an audience of more than 1,800 people! Kensington had been preparing for this concert since September. They even hired a videography team to film the Quartet’s entire visit, starting from their arrival at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The Quartet played Haydn’s “Emperor” and Dvorak’s “The American”. The concert at Kensington included an interfaith discussion with Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religious leaders from the Detroit area. The entire concert can be watched online here:

http://kensingtonchurch.tv/play.php?id=113&video=2013-04-03.

Following the visit to Michigan, the Polyphony Youth Quartet flew to New York, where they performed at Saint Barnabas Church in Irvington, NY and at Temple Kol Ami in White Plains, NY. In addition to these performances, the Quartet also visited Juilliard, where they had the opportunity to meet and spend time with three amazing young violinists: Sean Lee, Giora Schmidtt, and Paul Huang. The Polyphony musicians enjoyed sharing stories about the differences in American and Israeli music training, and talking about their goals for the future. While in New York City, the Quartet also visited Tarisio, a luthier and auction house for fine instruments and bows. Here they were able to try out some very expensive instruments, and participate in a master class with professional violinist, Jennifer Koh.

The Polyphony Youth Quartet consists of four talented and diverse musicians, ages 16-21. The two violinists in the group, Feras Machour and Yamen Saadi, come from Nazareth and study at Polyphony’s Nazareth Conservatory. Feras’ family is Arab Christian, while Yamen’s is Arab Muslim. In March 2012, these young boys tied for first place in Israel’s prestigious Paul Ben-Haim Competition, marking the first time ever that the judges had awarded two first prizes in this competition. Natanel Pollak is the Quartet’s viola player and hails from an orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem. He broke boundaries within his own community by pursuing a career in music and completing his army service in the IDF’s Outstanding Musician Program. Lia Chen-Perlov is the Quartet’s cellist, and is currently serving in the IDF’s Outstanding Musician program while completing her Bachelor’s degree at Tel Aviv University. She comes from a secular Jewish family in Tel Aviv.

When the students in the Youth Quartet met for the first time, each had traveled less than two hours by car to get to rehearsal, yet the distances between their communities is infinitely greater than the miles that separate them. Pointing to the fact that Natanel was from an Orthodox Jewish community and that the teacher he was working with was Arab Palestinian, Lia remarked:
“It is incredible, really, and of course we are nervous at first when we don’t know what to expect of the other. But once you learn that you can all become friends, it gives you hope for the future.” The fact that young Jews and Arabs can come together as equals based on their shared understanding and passion for music, demonstrates that no divide is too big to surmount.

This ensemble is part of a joint collaboration between Polyphony and the Jerusalem Music Center (JMC), and will be performing concerts this week in Detroit and New York. With the support and collaboration of the Jerusalem Music Center (JMC), Polyphony has established four mixed Arab and Jewish youth ensembles, like the one touring this April. Each ensemble consists of an equal number of Arab students from one of Polyphony’s Conservatories, and Jewish students involved in the JMC. These groups rehearse on a regular basis and give concerts both in Israel and abroad. Through this ongoing and meaningful interaction, these students have developed long-lasting friendships that have enabled and encouraged them to question their assumptions and confront the complexities of the society in which they live.

Polyphony Youth Orchestra Concert – Brooklyn, NY

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:18:42 +0000

Four Polyphony Students to Tour US in May

admin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:39:59 +0000

The May 2013 tour group consists of four talented and diverse musicians, ages 10-19. This ensemble is a joint collaboration between Polyphony Education and the Jerusalem Music Centre.

Yamen Saadi and Nasif Francis, the two violinists in the group come from Nazareth and study at Polyphony’s Nazareth Conservatory. Yamen’s family is Arab Muslim, while Nasif’s is Arab Christian. They have both traveled to the United States before as part of Polyphony’s Youth Orchestra.

Hagit Bar Sella is a cellist who hails from Harduf, a small kibbutz in the north of Israel. She has been involved with Polyphony since 2012 when she traveled to the States with the Galilee Youth Quartet on a tour sponsored by The Polyphony Foundation. Next year Hagit will be serving in the IDF’s Outstanding Musician Program.

David Margalit is a very young Jewish pianist from Tel Aviv. He and Nasif have become good friends and enjoy playing together.

Together, these teens are extremely hardworking and ambitious, extraordinarily talented, and tremendously eager to expand their worlds.

Polyphony Youth Quartet Brings 1,700 People to Their Feet!

admin — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:13:24 +0000

Over 1,700 people attended the Polyphony Youth Quartet performance at Kensington Community Church in Troy, Michigan. The crowd was on their feet applauding this incredible group of young Arab-Israeli and Jewish-Israeli musicians. The Quartet includes violinists Feras Machour, 17, an Arab Christian, and Yamen Saadi, 16, an Arab Muslim, both of whom are from Nazareth, Israel and tied for first place in Israel’s prestigious Paul Ben-Haim Competition. They are joined by Lia Chen-Perlov, 19, a gifted Jewish cellist from Tel Aviv and Nataniel Pollack, an award winning Jewish viola player from Jerusalem.

The bonds that are being forged, and the cultural hurdles and stereotypes that are being shattered as these young musicians study, travel and perform together are truly remarkable.

Their performances are mesmerizing, both because they have achieved so much musically and because their playing together is a powerful metaphor for the mission of Polyphony.

The Polyphony Story, a Kensington Church Production

admin — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:45:39 +0000

Polyphony tells the remarkable story of a musical ensemble made up entirely of young Arab and Jewish musicians. These world class classical musicians are based in Nazareth, Israel but travel the world sharing a message of understanding and tolerance through music. Length: 6 min. Producer: Kensington Church, Troy Michigan

The Young Galilee Flute Quartet Begins U.S. Tour Tonight

admin — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:56:49 +0000

April 1-7: Polyphony Education and Jerusalem Music Centre (JMC) mixed ensemble will travel to the U.S. for a performance tour. On April 3rd, The Young Galilee Flute Quartet will perform at the Kensington Church Auditorium in Troy, MI. The Quartet is a remarkable Arab & Jewish ensemble in cooperation between the JMC and Polyphony Education.

The concert will be followed by an interfaith panel reception and discussion with rabbis, pastors, and imams from the area.

Please contact Sarah Wilbanks for more information: swilbanks.polyphony@gmail.com.

Polyphony and JMC Students Rehearsing Vivaldi for Galilee Chamber Orchestra Concert

admin — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:20:58 +0000

On April 11th and 13th the Galilee Chamber Orchestra will perform concerts in Tel Aviv and Nazareth. These concerts will be conducted by Nabeel’s brother, Saleem, and will feature solos by 8 young students (4 from Polyphony’s Conservatory, and 4 from the Jerusalem Music Centre). A younger group of 4 boys (ages 13-15) will perform Vivaldi’s Concerto in B minor for 4 violins, and an older group of 4 boys will perform Bach’s Concerto in D Minor with the orchestra. Each group is made up of 2 Arab and 2 Jewish musicians.