The festival, which was founded by curator and artistic director Maria Nasimova, is sponsored by the LOUD Foundation, a nonprofit European organization based in Riga, Latvia.
Concerts, performances and art displays will be spread across the city between October 20 and November 1, taking in around a dozen venues, including public spaces and cultural institutions. The program also includes workshops designed to generate dialogue and engage the public in some of the issues raised.
“Regarding…” is to be an annual event, with each edition focusing on a different topic. The inaugural program’s titular ellipsis is replaced by the word “Goddesses,” with various artistic slots and talks considering the gendering of power across mythologies and within contemporary society. Featured projects address such questions as: How, and by whom, is the power of women limited? Does power have gender, and who are the goddesses of today?
The acts include local and offshore fare, with the latter including “20 Dancers for the XX Century and More” by French choreographer and dancer Boris Charmatz, and a special film program highlighting notable women characters from cinematic history curated by acclaimed French-Swiss actress and playwright Laetitia Dosch.
Gastronomy also gets a look in, with a bunch of Shabbat dinners overseen by local chefs, and there will be a number of envelope-pushing operatic ventures including the premiere of Kundry, composed by Avner Dorman with the score performed by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and conductor Steven Sloane. There will also be a performance of the site-specific “Message from Gaia” designed by Dutch baritone, educator and opera creator Anthony Heidweiller. The instrumental support will be provided by contemporary music group Meitar Ensemble and students from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.
There will be more music courtesy of Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra and emerging singer Gabriela Muñoz, who will unveil the newly commissioned “Silence of Sound” which looks at both the beauty and pitfalls inherent to musical creation.
For more information: regardingfestival.com/