A Magical Winter Seminar

14 Mar A Magical Winter Seminar

Since its foundation, Polyphony’s goal has been to harness the power of classical music to create a harmonious shared future in Israel—and ultimately the world. In pursuit of this goal, we seek to create a space where Arabs and Jews can come together, share their mutual love and appreciation for music, and through music—learn to love and appreciate one another.

Our scholar in residence seminar is a perfect example of this. We bring together young Arab and Jewish musicians from all parts of Israel for a bout of musical study coupled with intercultural dialogue and philosophical lectures. The young musicians live together, learn together, and share music together. As the seminar progresses, any preexisting prejudice melts away as the youth become lost in shared passion for their art. Each seminar culminates with the participants joining together in orchestra and performing a concert which, apart from being a wonderful musical experience, creates an inspiring sense of community and coexistence. The concert is open to the public and the seats are unfailingly packed with participants’ parents, friends, and family—extending the atmosphere of intercultural cooperation and harmony from the stage into the audience.

The December 2017 seminar marked a tremendous milestone for the program and Polyphony’s goals. For the first time, we were joined in the creation of the seminar by two organizations; Keshet Eilon and the Minerva Institute for Humanity. The Minerva Institute facilitated constructive dialogue and arranged inspiring lectures ,and Keshet Eilon provided their beautiful, state of art, facilities and excellent teaching staff for the seminar. This wonderful collaboration propelled the seminar to new heights and set a new standard for Arab and Jewish cooperation. We will continue to build off this success and, together with our new partners, work to create the future we dream of.