Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation (IPO Foundation, Hebrew: קרן התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית Keren ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit ha-Yisre'elit) is a non-profit organization
dedicated to providing financial support to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
. Since its founding in 1981, the IPO Foundation has helped fund the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s international tours, music education programs, and special musical events throughout Israel.
Funds raised by IPO Foundation help the Orchestra initiate and strengthen existing programs, and maintain its standard of musical excellence without placing a financial burden on the IPO’s budget or compromising its long-term stability. Contributions help to underwrite the IPO’s international tours, expand and enhance the Orchestra’s musical programs for Israeli youth, purchase valuable instruments to loan to Orchestra members, and preserve the Orchestra’s history through archival projects.
Over the years, the IPO Foundation has shifted its focus to financing the music education and community outreach initiatives of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra as well as maintaining the Endowment Fund and building a network of foundations and individuals who support the IPO.
Since its founding in 2001, KeyNote has established numerous programs for kindergarten, elementary school and high school students. Programs include teacher training, music education curriculums, performances of IPO members at music classes once a semester; and concerts at which the pieces studied each semester are presented in concert. The KeyNote program collaborates with the music department at Levinsky Teachers College and is supervised by the musical education department of the Israeli Ministry of Education. Over a three-year period, the students attend six Philharmonic morning concerts with pieces tailored to each age group.
KeyNote in the Community is a similar program where musicians perform for rural communities, both Jewish and Arab, emphasizing education and curriculum development prior to concerts. The participants receive tickets and transportation to concerts at Mann Auditorium, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s home in Tel Aviv
.
In addition, KeyNote oversees Shesh-Besh, an ensemble that brings together musicians from the IPO and the Arab Christian
and Muslim
communities of northern Israel. The group uses a mixture of instruments (flute
, ney
, violin
, viola
, eastern violin, oud
, double bass
, and assorted percussion), and thus fuses elements from both Western and Arab music. The group performs throughout the country and has also toured internationally at Carnegie Hall
and at the Tanglewood Music Festival
.
KeyNote also oversees Tochnit Mifne, a program founded by Maestro Zubin Mehta
to promote education in Arab music as well as Western music for students of the Galilee
region. The program collaborates with the Beit Il Musika Conservatory in Sh'far'am and The Mouteran School in Nazareth in order to provide cross-cultural musical training for Israeli students of music.
Each year, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performs in countries around the world. IPO Foundation Patrons are invited to join the Orchestra and join specially designed tours.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
dedicated to providing financial support to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is the leading symphony orchestra in Israel. It was originally known as the Palestine Orchestra, and in Hebrew as התזמורת הסימפונית הארץ ישראלית The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit...
. Since its founding in 1981, the IPO Foundation has helped fund the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s international tours, music education programs, and special musical events throughout Israel.
Mission
It is the mission of the IPO Foundation to secure the financial future of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The IPO Foundation supports the Orchestra's international touring program, educational projects, a wide array of musical activities in Israel and an endowment fund to further ensure the IPO's future.Funds raised by IPO Foundation help the Orchestra initiate and strengthen existing programs, and maintain its standard of musical excellence without placing a financial burden on the IPO’s budget or compromising its long-term stability. Contributions help to underwrite the IPO’s international tours, expand and enhance the Orchestra’s musical programs for Israeli youth, purchase valuable instruments to loan to Orchestra members, and preserve the Orchestra’s history through archival projects.
History
The IPO Foundation was founded in 1981 in response to the lack of a substantial Israeli government subsidy or endowment fund for the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The IPO Foundation's first act was to create an Endowment Fund for the Orchestra, invested with the principal of each donation kept intact. Income from the Endowment Fund is used both to finance the Orchestra's long-term projects and to balance the Orchestra's budget if revenues fall short of operating expenses in any given year.Over the years, the IPO Foundation has shifted its focus to financing the music education and community outreach initiatives of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra as well as maintaining the Endowment Fund and building a network of foundations and individuals who support the IPO.
KeyNote
In addition to providing financial security to the Orchestra, the IPO Foundation funds the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s Music Education and Community Outreach department, KeyNote (Hebrew: תכנית מפתח).Since its founding in 2001, KeyNote has established numerous programs for kindergarten, elementary school and high school students. Programs include teacher training, music education curriculums, performances of IPO members at music classes once a semester; and concerts at which the pieces studied each semester are presented in concert. The KeyNote program collaborates with the music department at Levinsky Teachers College and is supervised by the musical education department of the Israeli Ministry of Education. Over a three-year period, the students attend six Philharmonic morning concerts with pieces tailored to each age group.
KeyNote in the Community is a similar program where musicians perform for rural communities, both Jewish and Arab, emphasizing education and curriculum development prior to concerts. The participants receive tickets and transportation to concerts at Mann Auditorium, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s home in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
In addition, KeyNote oversees Shesh-Besh, an ensemble that brings together musicians from the IPO and the Arab Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
communities of northern Israel. The group uses a mixture of instruments (flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, ney
Ney
The ney is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Middle Eastern music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. It is a very ancient instrument, with depictions of ney players appearing in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys being found...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, eastern violin, oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
, double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, and assorted percussion), and thus fuses elements from both Western and Arab music. The group performs throughout the country and has also toured internationally at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
and at the Tanglewood Music Festival
Tanglewood Music Festival
The Tanglewood Music Festival is a music festival held every summer on the Tanglewood estate in Lenox, Massachusetts in the Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts....
.
KeyNote also oversees Tochnit Mifne, a program founded by Maestro Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
to promote education in Arab music as well as Western music for students of the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
region. The program collaborates with the Beit Il Musika Conservatory in Sh'far'am and The Mouteran School in Nazareth in order to provide cross-cultural musical training for Israeli students of music.
Fundraising Events
The IPO FOundation hosts an annual Gala event featuring Maestro Zubin Mehta at the helm of the IPO for a special concert at the Fredric R. Mann Auditorium, followed by live entertainment and dinner at the Hilton Tel-Aviv Hotel, which overlooks the Mediterranean.Each year, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performs in countries around the world. IPO Foundation Patrons are invited to join the Orchestra and join specially designed tours.