A festival of jazz lasting four consecutive days with big names from Israel and abroad. Each evening the audience will be invited to listen to the best of jazz music in a variety of styles. After and prior to the shows, free jazz performances will be held as part of the Festival Jazz Club in the lobby of the Jerusalem Theatre and outdoors on the Mamilla-Alrov Pedestrian Mall (free parking).

Joshua Redman saxophone Reuben Rogers bass Greg Hutchinson drums and percussion

Joshua Redman is one of the leading tenor-sax players in the world today. After having won first place in the prestigious Thelonius Monk international jazz competition in 1991, Redman began appearing internationally as a soloist with leading jazz musicians, including Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Bill Frisell, Chick Corea, Jack deJohnette, Branford Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Brad Mehldau, Herbie Hancock, B.B. King, the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra, and many more. Redman will perform with two jazz greats: bassist Reuben Rogers, who grew up in the Virgin Isles and mixes calypso and African rhythms into his playing, and Eric Harland, two-time nominee for a Grammy award who has toured with Charles Lloyd and Zakir Hussain.

"Joshua Redman seems a class apart for technique, invention and artistry." Evening Standard
"Possessing an endless fund of ideas, effortless fluency, muscular tone and an immaculate technique, Redman must be the most perfect tenor saxophonist alive today." Dave Gelly, The Observer (Nov. 2007)

Jerusalem, Sherover Theatre June 3, 9 p.m. approx. 1 hr. 40 mins. with interval

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Debuting his new album 'Aurora'
Avishai Cohen acoustic and electric bass,
vocals Shai Maestro piano and keyboards Amos Hoffman oud Itamar Doari percussion Ilan Salem flute Oded Meir trombone, Karen Malka Vocals

Avishai Cohen – Israeli jazz composer, bass guitarist and double bass player – has been described by Down Beat magazine as "a jazz visionary of global proportions". The new band accompanying him includes young musicians from Israel and the U.S.A., the nucleus of which is Cohen's award-winning Trio who have accompanied him for many years. The festival concert will debut Avishai Cohen's new album Aurora, recorded on the prestigious EMI Blue Note label and released in March. The album, a synergy of different styles, draws its inspiration from Israel and neighboring cultures and contains original numbers and new arrangements to works performed in Ladino, Spanish, Hebrew and English.

"One of the most gifted bassists of his generation is finding his own voice as a composer." The New Yorker
"One of the best double bassists in the world." Kerstan Mackness, Time Out, London

Jerusalem, Sherover Theatre
June 2, 9 p.m.

approx. 1 hr. 40 mins. without interval

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Renaud Garcia-Fons double bass Kiko Ruiz flamenco guitar Jorge "Negrito" Trasante drums and percussion

Renaud Garcia-Fons gained fame internationally with his virtuosic double bass playing which leaves the audience breathless, and his music style which embraces a wide array of styles including flamenco, Turkish, jazz, tango, Celtic, African, Latin American, Indian and classical music. His open-mindedness has led to many collaborations with artists from different backgrounds and traditions, like the Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou-Khalil, the Algerian singer Cheb Mami, Dhafer Youssef from Tunisia, Kudsi Erguner from Turkey, and many more. Garcia-Fons will be performing with the acclaimed Flamenco guitarist Kiko Ruiz and Jorge "Negrita" Trasante, percussionist of the legendary Gypsy Kings.

"Renaud Garcia-Fons brings a rare passion and understanding to the bass. His approach is pure genius." All About Jazz (Oct. 2008)

On Stage Seating in Club Atmosphere at the Jerusalem Theatre May 31, 9 p.m. approx. 1 hr. 40 mins. with interval In the Sherover Hall in Club atmosphere

With the assistance of the French Embassy.

name	full price	price 3+
Renaud Garcia-Fons Trio	135	122

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Paolo Fresu and the Devil's Quartet	Italy

Paolo Fresu trumpet Bebo Ferra acoustic and electric guitar
Paolino Dalla Porta bass Stephano Bagnoli drums

Regarded as one of the most important jazz trumpeters today, Paulo Fresu's terrific sound has been described by critics as "rich and velvety". In 1996 he received the Django d'Or award for best European jazz player. Fresu has played with Richard Galliano, Dave Holland, Michel Portal, Carla Bley, Dave Holland, Aldo Romano, Trilok Gurtu, Uri Caine, John Zorn, Omar Sosa, and many others. He has recorded on the EMI Blue Note and Colombia labels, and often participates in multi-media, dance, theatre and film projects.

"Paolo Fresu is such an accomplished stylist that he could knock-off straight jazz or fusion in his siesta" The Guardian

On Stage Seating in Club Atmosphere at the Jerusalem Theatre June 1, 9 p.m. approx. 1 hr. 40 mins. with interval In the Sherover Hall in Club atmosphere

name	full price	price 3+
Paolo Fresu and the Devil's Quartet	135	122

Conductor Michal Dworzynski soprano Iwona Hossa piano Jacek Kortus, Dorel Golan

Program:
Henryk Gorecki – Symphony no. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"
Frederic Chopin – Variations on "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni" in B-flat major
Frederic Chopin – Concerto no. 1 in E minor for piano and orchestra  

In this special, one-time celebratory concert two of Frederic Chopin's most popular works for piano and orchestra cross paths with Henryk Gorecki's beautiful third symphony. Beyond the piano virtuosity of Chopin and beyond the poetic melancholy of Gorecki's symphony, which awed audiences in the 1970s becoming one of the most popular contemporary concertante in the world, lies the true subject of the evening, the fascinating dialogue between these two Polish composers with totally different composition styles.
The gala concert opens the 2009 Israel Festival and brings to a close the official program of the Polish Year in Israel 2008/9. The event is made possible thanks to the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and Polish Institute in Tel Aviv – the organizers of the Polish Year in Israel 2008/9.

name	full price	price 3+
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra	180/210	189/162

Pearls of the Baroque

Richard Boothby, Reiko Ichisa, Asako Morikawa, Susanna Pell, Richard Campbell, Richard Tunnicliffe Works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Henry Purcell, commemorating the 350th anniversary of Purcell's birth

The viola da gamba consort Fretwork was founded in 1986 and consists of 6 musicians performing a repertoire based principally on Renaissance music with an emphasis on the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods, as well as arrangements of works by Bach, and contemporary music especially commissioned for the ensemble. Fretwork has toured all over the world to great acclaim. The captivating program brings together Purcell's fantasias for viol and Bach's arrangements for organ, as well as Purcell's most famous songs, including Dido's Lament from the opera Dido and Aeneas, considered one of the finest operas ever. The consort will be joined by mezzo-soprano Clare Wilkinson who specializes in Renaissance and Baroque period music.

"Fretwork is the finest consort of viols on the planet" Evening Standard

Jerusalem, Henry Crown Symphony Hall June 2, 8.30 p.m. approx. 1 hr. 40 mins. with interval

Fretwork will hold a master class at the Jerusalem Music Center on June 2 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. With the assistance of Bi Arts, the cultural exchange program of the British Council and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture and Sport.

name	full price	price 3+
Fretwork	135/120	108/122

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Beethoven Meets Composers of the Second Viennese School

Pianist and Lecturer Gil Shohat
Elysium Ensemble, Jerusalem Trio
Soloists: Michal Shamir soprano Maurizio Baglini (Italy)
piano Yuval Admony and Tami Kanazawa piano duo

The ever popular Israel Festival piano marathon which takes place on Fridays under the music direction of Gil Shohat is dedicated this year to Beethoven's Viennese revolution on the one hand, and the composers of the second Viennese school – Schoenberg and Berg – on the other. Beethoven's important and better known sonatas will be juxtaposed with Berg's piano sonata, and Beethoven's Archduke Trio and Grosse Fugue will confront Schoenberg's Transfigured Night. A fascinating program performed by the finest Israeli musicians and an Italian guest star.

Jerusalem, Henry Crown Symphony Hall
June 5, 11 a.m.

Tel Aviv, Einav Centre
June 9, 8 p.m.

The Jerusalem marathon lasts approx. 4 hrs. 30 mins. with intervals.

A shorter program in Tel Aviv with Gil Shohat, soprano Michal Shamir, pianist Yaron Kohlberg and the Elysium Ensemble.

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Jerusalem, Henry Crown Symphony Hall June 7, 8.30 p.m. approx. 2 hrs. with interval

Excerpt from "Herzlich lieb hab ich Dich, o Herr" BuxWV 41 out of: D. Buxtehude, Geistliche Kantaten Cantus Cölln, Konrad Junghänel harmonia mundi, HMG501629

Konrad Junghänel will speak with the audience prior to the concert at 7 p.m.

With the assistance of the Goethe Institute.

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The award-winning, young Italian pianist of international repute Maurizio Baglini, who has a recording contract with Decca, will perform a special marathon recital in which he examines the frontiers of piano virtuosity. In the first half of the recital, Baglini will perform a transcription for two hands of Beethoven's 9th symphony in its entirety, while in the second half, he will play all 24 Chopin etudes, thus demonstrating the unlimited capacity of the piano: on the one hand, a complete orchestral symphony reduced to two hands, and on the other, 24 facets of agile finger work from the school of Chopin – a collection of works which attests to the technical demand on a pianist and the need to be in command of all styles at all times.

"Baglini's playing is reminiscent of Alfred Cortot… he has a penetrating tone, both bright and round…"Le Monde "One of the most significant Chopin performers today" American Record Guide

Brigham Young University, Mt. Scopus June 9, 7 p.m. approx. 2 hrs. 15 mins. with interval

*Smoking is forbidden in the Brigham Young University

Special thanks to the Italian Institute and the Brigham Young University

name	full price	price 3+
Maurizio Baglini	90	81

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Eden-Tamir Music Center Commemorating the 200th anniversary of Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) who pioneered the revival of Johann Sebastian Bach

Concerti Celebration with soloists of the Millennium Ensemble
Bach Concerto for 2 violins in D minor (BWV 1043)
Bach Concerto for violin and viola (oboe) in C minor (BWV 1060)
Mendelssohn Concerto for violin and piano in D minor

Ein Kerem Music Center May 29, 12 noon

Piano Celebration in Memory of Bracha Eden with the Irena Friedland and Yonatan Zak Duo and the Yuval Admoni and Tammi Kanazawa Duo Kotlyar-Shifrin Piano Duo (Israel-U.S.A.) and the Lutoslawski Piano Duo (Poland) Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night's Dream for piano four hands, for 2 pianos eight hands
Duo Irena Friedland and Yonatan Zak and Duo Yuval Admoni and Tammi Kanazawa Mendelssohn Duets for piano four hands
Bach Art of the Fugue, 2 fugues for 2 keyboards (BWV 1080)
Bach Trio sonatas for two keyboards in D minor (BWV 527)
Bach Concerto for two keyboards in C major (BWV 1061)

Ein Kerem Music Center May 30, 12 noon

Celebration of Voice – "From Bach to Mendelssohn"
with singers of the Israeli Opera Studio in a program of arias, duets, ensembles and more

String Celebration
Bach Brandenburg concerto no. 3 in G major (BWV 1048)
Mendelssohn String octet in E flat major, op. 20

World Music

An evening of fado music

A special concert of Portuguese soul music with singer Misia, whose sensual voice and hypnotic stage presence have justly earned her world acclaim. Just as flamenco symbolizes Spain, fado is the symbol of Portugal, and is performed in sea-side clubs and cafés in Lisbon and Porto. Its roots are in folk songs which deal with dreams, love and destiny. Misia is regarded as the pioneer of the revival of fado and the successor of Amalia Rodrigues. She modernized its style by adding to the traditional instruments (fado guitar, bass guitar and classical guitar), the violin, accordion, piano and harp.

"Misia stands out as by far the most original and seductive fado singer today" The Independent on Sunday "A celestial voice and hypnotic stage presence…" Madame Figaro

Beersheba Performing Arts Center June 7, 9 p.m. Jerusalem, Beit Shmuel patio June 8, 9 p.m. With the support of the Portuguese Embassy

Leaping Over Hills

An enthralling music encounter with Piris and Mark Eliyahu, Israeli musicians born in Daghestan (a Russian republic in the north Caucases), and Beyimkhanum Mirzoyeva, a young singer from Azerbaijan, who after winning first prize in her country's prestigious Mugham competition has gone on to appear on stage in Europe and the U.S.A. The music is based on original works by Piris and Mark Eliyahu, most of which will be performed for the first time. A must for world music fans.

India meets the middle east

Ken Zuckermann sarod Sanju Sahai tabla Yair Dalal oud and violin Eyal Sela flutes

An encounter between classical Indian and Middle Eastern music performed by four of the leading musicians in their field in the world today. Swiss-born Ken Zuckerman, who initiated the encounter, is regarded in India and around the world as one of the finest sarod players. He regularly performs with India’s top tabla players including Zakir Hussain, Swapan Chaudhuri and Anindo Chatterjee, and has participated in numerous cultural crossover projects including Jordi Savall's "Diaspora Sefardi" and "India Meets Persia" with tar player Hossein Alizadeh. Indian-born Sanju Sahai, a descendant of the great tabla virtuoso Pandit Ram Sahai founder of the Benares gharana tabla style, is one of the most sought-after tabla players in the world. Yair Dalal, one of the pioneers of ethnic music in Israel, specializes in creating a genuine Israeli sound with links to its traditional Jewish roots, and excels in mixing indigenous and modern sounds. Eyal Sela plays various wind instruments, chiefly clarinet and flutes, and specializes in ethnic music in which he incorporates classical material, improvising between different music genres.

Y.M.C.A. Auditorium June 5, 2 p.m. approx. 2 hrs. with interval

Israeli Rock

Songs for Joel

Rona Kenan will debut her new album "Songs to Yoel" which deals with Joel, a figure based on Kenan's father, in an attempt to examine his life as an analogy of the lives of those of his generation. Kenan's acoustic performance is complemented by a full line-up of double bass, piano, drums, guitar and string and wind trio, who add color to the drama and provide a sense of progression through time and presence of the unfolding narrative. The concert will definitely appeal to the large number of Kenan's loyal fans as well as to the growing public of both young and old seeking a bridge between the Israel of yesteryear and the 2009 model.

Jerusalem, Rebecca Crown Auditorium May 24, 9.30 p.m. approx. 1 hr. 30 mins. without interval

With Songs, Animation, and Lots of Energy

Danny Bassan vocals Izhar Ashdot guitar and vocals Yair Nitzani keyboards Yoshi Sade guitar and vocals Tzuf Filosof bass Sammy Avzardel drums

Thirty years since it was formed, T-slam makes a comeback T-Slam in its original line-up will pump up the volume in a fiery performance of energetic Israeli rock with their number one hits "Loud Radio", "Give Me Rock 'n' Roll", "Another Meeting" and "You've Got Me", among others. The band promises to put on a spectacular visual show in a glossy production with state-of-the art lighting and the screening of video clips including old clips of the band, short movies and all-time cartoon greats.

Jerusalem, Israel Museum Sculpture Garden June 4, 8.30 p.m. Caesarea Amphitheatre June 11, 8.45 p.m. www.tkts.co.il approx. 2 hrs. without interval

Standing only at the Jerusalem concert. Warm clothing recommended since it will take place outdoors.

Haim Romano, Shmuel Budagov, Erez Netz

Special guests Riki Gal, Maor Cohen and Peter Roth

Haim Romano, Shmuel Budagov and Erez Netz are Israeli guitar legends from the '70s and '80s. Each of them has performed with Israel's leading bands and accompanied the country's top singers over the last three decades. In this special production for the 2009 Israel Festival, the three guitar giants will team up and step into the spotlight on center stage. They will perform arrangements to classic Israeli songs and original jazz-rock works, highlighting the virtuosity and improve. techniques of the three. This promises to be an electrifying evening full of frenetic energy.