A young pianist concentrates on a Bach piece, his fingers flying over the white and black keys. When he is finished, there is a moment of silence before the select audience of musicians applauds. Violinist Isaac Stern turns to veteran pianist and teacher Gina Bachauer who sat immobile through the performance, and asks "What do you want to add?" She replies, "In this case, nothing.".
by Lili Eylon
The great Gina Bachauer, who coached this youngster and many others, is no longer among the living. The young pianist who on that occasion more than 20 years ago played at the newly-created Jerusalem Music Center was Yefim Bronfman, today a well-known artist appearing in concert halls worldwide.
Great artists who have come to Jerusalem to offer workshops and master classes, and to listen to and gently instruct promising young musicians, include Pablo Casals, Arthur Rubinstein, Alexander Schneider, Leonard Rose, Isaac Stern, Aurele Nicolet and Murray Perahia a veritable whos who in the world of music.
The centers first workshop and performance was held in 1973 by the great Catalan cellist Pablo Casals. The venerable artist was then 96 and had to be lifted from his wheelchair; but the moment he stepped on the stage, he was transformed into a vigorous musician, waving his arms about as he instructed his young pupils, singing the music at the top of his voice. He conducted a youth orchestra especially created for the occasion; the concertmaster was 13-year-old Shlomo Mintz, now a well-known violinist. It was to be Casals last public appearance three weeks later his cello was orphaned.
The Jerusalem Music Center was formally inaugurated by three of its four godfathers Isaac Stern, who had originated the idea, then-Mayor of Jerusalem and patron of the arts, Teddy Kollek, and Mrs. Dorothy de Rothschild, representing the generous Rothschild Foundation. The Jerusalem Foundation, which supports cultural institutions and activities in the capital, also had a hand in its establishment.
Benny Galed, the centers dynamic director, explains its aims and activities: "Our main aim is to promote young, talented musicians. We provide an opportunity for them to meet leading artists, with whom they can perform and exchange musical experiences, through workshops and master classes." The Guarneri Quartet, the Nash Ensemble, the Consort of Musicke, cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Janos Starker, singers Christa Ludwig, Emma Kirkby and Michael Chance, pianist Jeremy Menuhin, violist Tabea Zimmermann and violinist Miriam Fried, and composers Luciano Berio, Gyorgy Ligeti and Josef Tal are among the illustrious names with whom the youngsters make music at the Center.
Bi-weekly "Youth at the Center Concerts" offer exposure for young musicians as soloists and in ensembles. The concerts are broadcast on the Voice of Music radio station; more than 150 such concerts have taken place in the last 8 years.
Additional activities in the center are symposia on various aspects of music and how they relate to everyday life, and international chamber music encounters, such as one taking place in June 1998 under the musical direction of Isaac Stern. In May, topics such as "The Future of Listening" and "The Sound Engineer as Alchemist" were discussed during "Record Time," an international conference on recording and the record, sponsored by the British-Israeli Arts Training Scheme.
With the ambitious aim of creating musical literacy in all sectors of Israels population, the Kodaly Project a scholarship program established with the assistance of Professor Alexander L. Ringer of the University of Illinois trains gifted young music teachers in the Kodaly method for teachers in elementary schools. At the same time, in order to preserve the rich cultural heritage of Israels population, research is being conducted into the folk music of different communities, with the goal of creating a catalogue of songs.
The heart of the Center is a state-of-the-art multi-purpose audio and video recording studio the venue for masterclasses and concerts, all of which are recorded, serving both as teaching tools and, when edited, as television programs. To date, some 20 such programs have been televised by stations around the world. The Jerusalem Music Center also produces CDs under its own label. But one of the major functions of the studio is to launch promising musicians on their careers by creating promotional tapes which they can use as "business cards." And every music student who wants to participate in a competition, can, for a nominal fee, make an audition tape. "We make 30-40 such tapes each year," says Galed.
A particular point of pride are the number of ensembles of young Israeli musicians cultivated and helped by the center. Thus, the New Israel Woodwind Quintet has already performed at the Israel Festival, as well as the Schleswig-Holstein, Potsdam and Davos Festivals; the Jerusalem Trio, established in 1989, has performed and recorded on four continents and was a prize winner at the 1995 Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition; the Huberman Quartet serves as the Centers quartet in residence; the Jerusalem Quartet, founded in 1993, was winner of the 1997 Franz Schubert Competition in Graz, Austria, with a special prize for best interpretation of 20th century music; and, finally, the Camerata Orchestra, which will perform 52 concerts worldwide this year.
Another special program is the Young Musicians Group, made up of 14-18 year olds, who are recipients of scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. The youngsters gather for weekends of intensive music during the year and a two-week summer course, during which they form spontaneous chamber groupings and are instructed by teachers from Israel and abroad.
"We are continuing our tradition of excellence," states Benny Galed. "Excellence is intrinsic to the centers existence."