The upcoming Abu Gosh Vocal Music Festival - October 2017



The Benedictine Crusader Church (photo:Berthold Werner)

The 52nd Abu Gosh Vocal Music Festival will take place from October 11th to 14th 2017.
Singer and conductor Hanna Tzur has been the festival’s musical director since 1995. Concerts are held in the spacious Church of the Ark of the Covenant gracing the Kiryat Yearim hilltop and in the intimate Crypt of the 12th century Benedictine Crusader Church, which nestles in a peaceful, exotic garden. People from all over Israel attend the festival, taking time out from the bustle of everyday life to immerse themselves in good music, enjoy the views over the Judean Hills, to picnic with friends, visit the outdoor performances and browse the craft stalls.

In response to a special request by festival-goers who attended the unforgettable performance of Sicilian Baroque composer Michelangelo Falvetti’s “Il Diluvio Universale”  at the Abu Gosh Vocal Music Festival of October 2016, and indeed  for those who missed the experience, Ensemble PHOENIX, directed by Myrna Herzog, will be presenting the work once again at the upcoming festival (Concert no.8). Joining Ensemble PHOENIX, playing on period instruments, will be sopranos Tal Ganor and Yuval Oren, countertenor David Feldman, tenor Oshri Segev and baritone Yair Polishook. Choirs are always a major attraction of this festival. The 2017 Sukkoth festival will host three overseas choirs: the renowned Stuttgart Chamber Choir conducted by its founder and musical director Frieder Bernius (Concerts 1, 12), the Little Singers of Armenia with their founder, artistic director and principal conductor Tigran Hekekyan (Concert no.7) and a joint concert (Concert no.9) of the Simvol Very Men’’s Choir (Russia) - conductor:Seraphim Dubanov - and the Naama Women’s Choir - founder and conductor: Pnina Inbar.

Other ensembles will be performing in the Kiryat Yearim Church: the Barocameri Ensemble, with soprano Sarah Even-Haim and under the baton of Avner Itai, will perform music of Schubert, Haydn, Bach and Zeira/Orland (Concert no.4); “Stabat Mater” (Concert no.3) will feature soloists, the Ramat Gan Chamber Choir and the Israel Netanya Kibbutz Orchestra; harpsichordist Yizhar Karshon will direct a line-up of Israel’s finest Baroque singers and instrumentalists in “The Madrigalists Are Back” (Concert No.10); the Vocal Eight Ensemble, with percussionist Erez Munk, will host Yair Dalal in a musical mélange of east and west (Concert no.6).

Wander down to the Benedictine Monastery, where a local man will serve you coffee with cardamom, tea  and rich, sweet pastries under the trees of the exotic, tranquil garden. Then take your seat in the cool, ancient Crypt, where the festival’s more intimate concerts take place. Many of these concerts will offer a crossover musical experience: soprano Tali Ketzef and pianist, conductor and arranger Eran Zehavi will offer a selection of opera, operetta, numbers from musicals and film music in Concert no.12; oud player/violinist Yair Dalal with singer Lenka Lichtenberg will present lullabies in several languages (Concert no.11); in “From London with Inspiration”, soprano Ayelet Cohen and guitarist Uri Yaacov will perform works from Dowland to Adele to Irish songs (Concert no.13); alto Silvia Kigel, pianist Itay Abramovich and violinist Pavel Levin will have you tapping your feet to a rich choice of tangos (Concert no.14); Yair Polishook, one of Israel’s finest and most versatile baritones will be joined by guitarist Eyal Leber in a concert of “Bob Dylan’s Greatest” (Concert no.16); gipsy music will be the theme of Concert no.15, with soprano Shiri Hershkovitz, violinist Saida Bar-Lev and pianist Irit Rob.

Accordion music, an established Abu Gosh Festival tradition, will constitute  the opening event of the 52nd festival, taking the form of performances by a host of excellent accordionists in and around the Church of St. Joseph, Kiryat Yearim, from 12:00 to 16:00 on October 10th.

http://www.agfestival.co.il/en