The Amakim Choir was founded in 1980 and consists of about 45 singers from northern Israel. Most choirists live in a kibbutz or mosque, some in neighbouring towns. The ensemble has a wide repertoire – from the Renaissance to the modern age.
Festivals in which the Amakim Choir took part: 1997 in Denmark, 2000 in Nevers/France (Europacantat), 2003 and 2006 the Alta Pusteria Festival in Italy and 2009 Europacantat in Utrecht/Netherlands, 2011 in Novi Sad/Serbia. The choir regularly participates in the Zimriya Festival which takes place every three years in Jerusalem.
Ya’el Wagner Avital, the choir’s conductor and musical director, was born in Jerusalem and graduated from the Rubin Academy of Music. Later she studied conducting at the University of Frankfurt/M. with Prof. Helmut Reling. Since her return to Israel in 1985, Mrs. Wagner Avital has conducted various choirs, taught solfège and choral music at the Rimon school in Tel Aviv; she also conducted the choir of the school for choral singing – also in Tel Aviv.
In 1990 she founded the choir of the University of Haifa and conducted it for eight years. She taught conducting, choral music and gave voice training at Oranim Academic College in Kiryat Tiw’on. Ya’el Wagner Avital currently works with three choirs.
More choirs of the Louis Lewandowski Festival 2014
Coro Ha-Kol, Rome
The Coro Ha-Kol (“The Voice”) was founded in December 1993 on the initiative of singers at the Great Synagogue of Rome, alongside other lovers of Jewish music. They recognised the need to rediscover and publicise the beauty of Jewish music to audiences both within and beyond the synagogue.
ENSEMBLE VOCAL HÉBRAÏCA DE STRASBOURG
Founded in 2006 by Hector Sabo and composed by the male soloists of the mixed choir Les Polyphonies Hébraïques de Strasbourg (participants in LLF 2011), the Ensemble Vocal Hébraïca performs as a vocal quartet until 2011. Then, the group had grown into a quintette to become a mixed voices octet in 2012 already.
Festival DVD kaufen!
Alle Festival DVDs (Audio / Video) des Louis Lewandowski Festivals sind bei Hentrich & Hentrich, dem Verlag für jüdische Kultur und Zeitgeschichte erschienen. Die DVDs sind Aufzeichnungen der großen Abschlusskonzerte mit alle Ensembles des jeweiligen Jahres. Sprachen: deutsch und englisch.
LONDON JEWISH MALE CHOIR
Founded in 1926 the London Jewish Male Choir developed a reputation of excellence most famously under conductor Manny Fisher who established the Choir’s reputation in both the UK and internationally, performing with the leading cantors of the day, including David Koussevitzky, Moshe Korn, Simon Hass, Moshe Stern and Joseph Malovany.
THE VOICES OF ISRAEL ENSEMBLE
The Voices of Israel Ensemble was initially established about 30 years ago, in the Israeli city of Netanya. In the meantime the Ensemble numbers up to seventy cantorial singers from all over Israel, all of which have different professions in their private lifes: professors, physicists, engineers, lawyers, farmers …
ZAMIR CHORALE OF BOSTON
The »Zamir Chorale of Boston« was founded in 1969. Led by Founder and Artistic Director Joshua Jacobson, the Chorale comprises more than 45 experienced volunteer singers who perform music spanning thousands of years, four continents, and a variety of styles, both classical and popular.