When musicians from different cultures come together, they release a creative potential that opens up new horizons and inspires artistic innovation alike. In this project, the participants work together on a concert program, which reflects their diverse musical roots – and at the same time gives them the opportunity to engage intensively with their own identities and how these influence the way in which they see both their culture and music.

Participants

30 musicians from the Arab-Jewish Orchestra and the Yiddish Summer Weimar 2017

Project Content
The music of the Middle East and Europe has many shared elements and connected roots that are often overlooked. The Caravan Orchestra brings together Jewish and Arab musicians from Israel with their European colleagues from Germany in order to make these connections visible once again. In addition to playing music together and developing a concert program, grappling with one’s own cultural identity is another important part of the program. Cultural difference thus becomes a source of creative potential rather than bringing about conflict and division.

Project Working Methods
The project starts with the German participants visiting Haifa, where they begin with the musical work. The visit gives the young musicians numerous opportunities to incorporate their own ideas and musical languages into the program. A joint trip to Thüringen follows, as well as a concert performance as part of the Yiddish Summer Weimar festival.

Project Goals
In addition to development of a full-length concert program and several performances, the project aims to enable the participants to create new frames of reference for their identities via cultural exchange, allowing them to move beyond such boundaries as nationality and religion to develop new self-conceptions of their music which transcend any such categories.

Collaborating Partners
other music e.V. from Thüringen
Youth & Music Israel from Haifa