For the past three years under the musical direction of Yaron Gottfried, the Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra has brought unique concerts all over Israel.
By JESSICA FREIMAN
The Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra presents its 35th season, entitled "Instruments, Voices, Movement."
For the past three years under the musical direction of Yaron Gottfried, the Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra has brought unique concerts all over Israel. This year is no exception: its 35th diverse season entitled "Instruments, Voices, Movement" will open with a distinguished list of guest performers including the cream of Israeli and international musicians, conductors, singers and producers.
The Chamber Orchestra will perform in nine different shows this season: a Bach concert, a Nordic folk concert, a Spanish folk concert, a clarinet concert, an accordion concert, a European romance concert, a multimedia concert, a vocal concert, and a concert featuring two collaborating chamber orchestras.
Guest performers who will arrive in Israel especially to play with the Orchestra include Richard Galiano of France, one of the world's leading accordion players.
Clarinet great Karl-Heinz Steffens of Germany will also perform.
"I'm planning to continue the line I started my first day on the job," conductor and musical director Yaron Gottfried told The Jerusalem Post. "I want to create a unique performance combination of classical and world music to attract all sorts of audiences."
Gottfried has succeeded in doing just that in recent years.
"I've noticed that we are getting eclectic audiences, with young people constituting a substantial percentage. If I host a dance troupe as part of the performance, new potential audience members will find that alluring."
In his desire to offer his audience a fresh perspective, Gottfried will put on an experimental show with his Kibbutz Orchestra in collaboration with the Raanana Orchestra.
"Our audience is not accustomed to getting a symphony concert from us, so that will be a treat for them," Gottfried said.
Innovation is the key for the 36-year-old conductor, composer and pianist. In September 2002 he was appointed as the Kibbutz Orchestra's music director; under him, the orchestra has garnered over 40,000 guests and 90 concerts per season.
Gottfried studied composition and orchestral conducting with Professor Noam Sheriff in Tel Aviv, and in 1993 graduated the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem. His reputation has spread worldwide, however; he has been invited to conduct at three of Hungary's leading orchestras for the 2005-6 season.
Gottfried has merited various awards over the years, among them "elected artist of Israel's Cultural Excellence Foundation from 2003 through 2006, first prize at the conducting competition held by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and first prize in the International Red Sea Jazz Festival's composition competition.
The Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra's new season premieres mid-October.