The Jerusalem International Oud Festival is an annual celebration of the Middle East’s “king of instruments”, a pear-shaped string instrument that is very popular in North African Middle Eastern music.
Founded in 2000, the oud festival promotes cultural diversity while strengthening familiar sounds and protecting endangered sounds.
Every year, the festival presents many original productions and special performances that offer unique interpretations of ancient and modern works and illustrate the connection between Arab and Persian classical music and Jewish liturgical music.
The festival is sponsored, curated, and hosted by the Confederation House,
Oud Festival 2022 Highlights
- The Oud 2022 Festival will open with a spectacular tribute show to the great Greek composer and Buzuki virtuoso artist Vassilis Tsitsanis – one of the greatest composers in the Rebetika and Laiko genres of Greek popular music. The performance will be conducted by the renowned Greek orchestra Estudiantina and the great soloists, Eleni Vitali and Babis Stokas. This evening will present the best works of the renowned composer.
- Turkish Oud Master Yurdal Tokcan will also attend the festival with Project ÛDÎ, offering a unique contemporary approach to traditional Turkish music.
- A one-time-only summit will be held with Amir Shahsar the nai player, the Turkish Sufi musician Issa Nasim and the Turkish singer Selçukhan Yılmaz. The trio will embark on a musical journey following the Sufi mystic, Jalal al-Din Rumi - and you have the opportunity to join the experience.
- This year's final show is courtesy of Shem Tov Levi, who composed original music for the song, especially for the Oud Festival. Levi will perform with Micha Shitrit and Maayan Linik, Shem Tov Levi Ensemble and Kol Dodi Ensemble from the Rimon Music School.
- As always, the festival will devote great attention to groundbreaking Israeli women creators, presenting exclusive performances: Rif Cohen in a show celebrating the release of the new album that expresses Oriental feminism and female empowerment, Tamar Shawki in a tribute to Lebanese music she grew up on, Mira Awad in a unique first show at the Oud Festival that brings Arabic fusion to the foreground, Liraz Charhi will celebrate the release of her new album recorded in Istanbul with Iranian musicians and poets - Shir Yifrach and Yahala Lachmish in a unique show dedicated to poetry from a female perspective.
- In addition, this year's festival program will provide a stage for vivacious performances selected specifically for the young audience, they’ll be held at the distillery. Palestinian-Hebrew hip-hop produced by Netta Weiner from System Ali Band Music, traditional Arab music and Yemeni electronics, and Hamara (a local traditional gathering place, like a café, where you can drink strong coffee or beer, play backgammon, and such). And as a bonus, free performances will be held in the courtyard of the Khan Theatre, presented by students from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, who will entertain the audience with classical, instrumental, vocal, and modern Arabic music.
