Tel Aviv Music Festival preview

The Felicja Blumental International Music Festival

16-21 March, 2020
At the Tel Aviv Museum of Art

6 days and over 20 concerts at Music Festival in Tel Aviv

"Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore" (I lived for art, I lived for love) is an aria from the opera Tosca by Puccini. These words have led to the creativity behind the festival program from its beginning 22 years ago to this day. The passion to create an intensive, musical experience that explores connections of styles and periods is the foundation of our work at the Felicja Blumental Music Center.

Annette Celine, the daughter of Felicja Blumental and the founder of the festival, was its musical director for 19 years.

Her desire to bring eclectic music together can be found in the festival concerts that converse with each other in style, creation, performance and era.

Sadly, Annette passed away in June 2017.

Since then, Avigail Arnheim has been leading the festival's musical program together with Idit Magal. Avigail describes their vision: "It is the curiosity for music-making from all over the world in classical music, ethnic music and jazz, as well as special joint projects, that bring together a musical week with a twist for the public in Tel Aviv."

The Classical and Jazz Odyssey - Geneva Camerata, Fusion of Sounds - Tremolo Percussion Ensemble Performing Steve Reich and Chick Corea

 The 22nd Festival is 6 days long with over 20 concerts and performances which will be held from Monday March 16 – Saturday 21 at the Recanati Auditorium, Assia Auditorium and the Mizne Blumental Collection Gallery at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. It presents a fascinating program that features Beethoven 7th symphony (1812) at the opening concert and Steve Reich's well-known composition for 18 musicians (1976) at the closing concert.

Another highlight of the festival will be the world premiere of the opera "The Crystal Bowl" by Hanna Adjiashvili (2020). Each of these compositions creates its own reality of sound which evokes our imagination.

The presence of Israeli musicians together with guests from Portugal, Switzerland, France, Germany and the UK will create exciting encounters and exchanges of musical ideas.

For the first time, we will be holding an international singing competition in memory of Annette Celine, the festival's founder.