After the success of the 2007 Palestine Mozart Festival, the Choir of London returned again to the Occupied Palestinian Territories in 2009 to stage another festival, this time based around a touring production of Puccini’s great romantic opera La Boheme.

Building on connections made in the Choir’s previous visits to Palestine, the 2009 visit took place within the framework of music school Al Kamandjati’s annual Music Days Festival. The Choir of London’s musicians contributed eight major performances to the festival: three opera performances (including the first opera ever to be staged in Nablus), an a cappella choral concert in Jerusalem, and four gala concerts which brought Choir of London musicians together with many excellent musicians living in Palestine.

An intensive educational programme ran alongside the Festival, with children from all of Ramallah’s major music schools joining their teachers and Choir of London musicians to perform in the Gala Orchestra, instrumental masterclasses for advanced musicians, and composition and percussion workshops.

The Festival was an occasion for many Choir of London musicians to return once again to perform in Palestine, and for others it was their first introduction to the Territories. Extensive press coverage both locally and abroad reinforced interest in the Festival in Palestine and gave audiences in the UK a fresh perspective on the Middle East.

Click here for a gallery of images from the Festival.

FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES

EDUCATION PROGRAMME

<<Choir of London << Projects << Palestine Music Festivals