(Israel Ministry of Tourism)

The Tallinn – Tel Aviv Music Festival
Estonian-Israeli Music Festival
February 20-24, 2014

The International MustonenFest, founded and directed by conductor and violinist Andres Mustone, will bring together a multi-disciplinary music festival that will include the biggest musicians from Estonia with Israel's hottest names in the world of classical music, jazz and world music. A unique Nordic-Israeli celebration - including six diverse and fascinating performances. All performances will take place at the Tachana, the recently-renovated train station compound on the borders of Jaffa and Tel Aviv.

The opening performance is “A Symphonic Overture” with works of Händel, Mozart, Mahler and the Symphony nr 3 by Arvo Pärt played by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, IBA. Andres Mustonen, conductor; Helen Lokuta, mezzo-soprano and with MC Avigail Arenhaim. There will also be a concert entitled “Joint Jazz Forces” - jazz adaptations to works of Bach and his contemporaries performed by the Art-Jazz Quartet with Andres Mustonen, violin (Estonia), with Israeli performers: the Yaron Gottfried Trio, Anat Fort, piano, Itamar Carmeli, piano.

There will also be an open concert for the whole family called “Let’s Dance” presenting dance music through the centuries, from baroque to rock, from Lully to Led Zeppelin, accompanied by dance improvisation. This will be performed by the Hortus Musicus Ensemble directed by Andres Mustonen, violin (Estonia) and an Israeli string quartet and accompanied by the Suzanne Dellal dancers. There will also be a  night of traditional Nordic melodies in modern, alternative and meditative styles performed by musicians from Estonia.

Performances will include musicians from the Estonian National Opera soloists, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Yaron Gottfried Trio, the Legendary Hortus Musicus Ensemble, Art-Jazz Quartet from Estonia,  Anat Fort, Claire Meghnagi, Etty Ben-Zaken Ensemble, Yoram Lachish, Suzanne Dellal dancers and others.


The Felicja Blumental International Music Festival
March 31 - April 5, 2014

At the 16th annual Felicja Blumental International Music Festival, taking place at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, visitors can enjoy music from all over the world in a varied and exciting program. The festival opens with local Israeli musician, vocalist and storyteller, Ilana Elya who will perform songs, stories and music of the Jewish community of Kurdistan. Musicians from Spain - La Ritirata - will perform Spanish and South American music, while the Koelner Academy will perform works by JS Bach.

Gypsy world music as well as fado from Portugal and music from France will also be part of this year’s line up. The Mandelring String Quartet (Germany) will join Israeli musicians for a program dedicated to the composer Dimitry Shostakovich. In addition there will be a new magical production of Cinderella for the whole family. With the original music by Prokofiev, there will be live animation, soloists and performed together with the Revolution Orchestra.

In addition, films will be screened on various subjects such as “Stravinsky” - a documentary about the great modern composer Igor Stravinsky; or “Testimony” - the story of the great Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich and his life and career during the Stalin period.