Jerusalem choir to present new program

The Musica Aeterna chamber choir will feature pieces by Mozart and Buxtehude.

By MAXIM REIDER
The Musica Aeterna chamber choir, under its artistic director Ilya Plotkin, will present its new program featuring pieces by Mozart and Buxtehude on June 27 at the Beit Jamal monastery near Jerusalem. The choir was founded by Moscow Pedagogical University graduate Plotkin in 1996. "Immigrating to Israel in 1992, I immediately realized that there was a niche for Russian liturgics here." The first concert, given by a seven-member-strong choir in a private home, was a success. Now the group includes about 20 singers, and its repertoire features not only Russian music, but also Western and Israeli - both liturgic and secular - and appears throughout the country. In 2004, Plotkin launched an additional project called Opera Aeterna, creating special productions of operas by Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Cimarosa. The choir was recently awarded a special Absorption Ministry prize in memory of Yuri Stern for its "contribution to the cultural life of the community and the country." The concert at the Beit Jamal monastery starts at 12:30 p.m. Reservations: 054-474-4799