The Tel Aviv Cultural Center’s 5th Winter Festival, featuring some of the biggest names in Israeli music, will take place in February.
The event, which will open on February 8th and continue to the 11th, marks the 65th anniversary of the venerable cultural center that has been home to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and has hosted musical performances from countless world-class artists, both Israeli and international.
“The winter festival of the center has become an annual event that many look forward to. Four days of celebrating shows with dozens of favorite artists, who bring unique sounds to the festival. This year we will mark 65 years since the establishment of the center, which has become one of the distinct symbols of Israeli culture and the home of the culture-loving crowd, says Dalit Korel, CEO of the Tel Aviv Cultural Center.
The Winter Festival will take place primarily in the center’s unique three performance halls: Louis Hall, Zucker Hall and the Sela Club, each of which will simultaneously host performances over the four-evening duration of the event.
What will the event look like?
The opening event will My Loves, a tribute to the works of elebrated Israeli singer Josie Katz, 82, whose career has spanned six decades. Since she made aliyah from the US to Israel at the age of 19, Katz has been involved with numerous musical groups and projects over her career that have been instrumental in shaping Israel’s music scene. My Loves refers to a 2008 show by Katz.
“We have the biggest, top Israeli musicians [who] are participating in this tribute,” said festival spokesman Jonathan Wolf.
Among the artists who will pay tribute to Katz are Eli Magen, Berry Sakharof, Keren Ann, Assaf Amdorski, Shlomi Shaban, Efrat Gush, Mika Karni, Alon Ader and Yael Kraus.
“Every artist [is coming] with a unique [performance] with guests of their own choosing. That’s what makes it different than a regular concert,” says Wolf, “and what makes the winter festival special.”
Legendary singer Dikla will also be featured in a show at the festival, as will Gal de Paz, who will perform a selection of jazz songs on piano.
The next night will see performances including Miri Masika, who will host Rita, a show by Rif Cohen, and Daniel Zamir with Nitzan Bar performing a saxophone/guitar duet performance.
The performances of the 10th include hip-hop legends Hadag Nahash, Nurit Galron accompanied by Itamar Gross on piano and Gilad Efrat on bass, a show by Hila Kolik, Arkadi Duchin, who is hosting the rock band HaYehudim and Mosh Ben Ari.
Additionally, Rona Kenan will be performing a show called A City Without Longing, accompanied by Eran Weitz, Yael Zelinger, Uri Kutner and Yondav Halevi. Also, a jazz quartet led by Eli Djiberi will perform that evening.
For the final day of the festival, Teapacks will celebrate their 30-year anniversary and host Sarit Hadad. Additionally, singer-songwriter Daniela Spector will host Alon Eder. Finally, the Dan Arn quintet will perform in the Sela Club.
“With three different halls, there’s something you can find (no matter who you are),” says Wolf. The variety of artists and performances set to take place will cover a wide span of genres and styles. There will certainly be a show to satisfy all tastes in music.”