About the project
The Center for Classical Oriental Music & Dance was established in 1996 to promote classical Middle Eastern music and dance. The center is the first institution in Israel to address a full range of Middle Eastern music and dance traditions on an academic level. It offers a three-year program of study encompassing different vocal, instrumental and dance traditions that evolved over the centuries from North Africa to Central Asia. The program includes lessons in rare instruments, voice lessons in the Arab, Persian, Andalusian and Ladino styles, study of music theory, history and composition, and participation in chamber ensembles. The center also sponsors programs in public schools to create greater awareness and appreciation of Middle Eastern music and dance traditions. The Jerusalem Foundation has supported the purchase of instruments and a music system, and provided scholarships. The center is one of several institutions the Foundation has supported to stimulate cultural life in the Musrara neighborhood.
