Classical Music

If you want to hear really great classical music you don't have to go all the way to Haifa or Tel Aviv. You can actually hear it right here in Safed at the Yigal Allon Cultural Center.

Subscription Series

During the winter from November to March there is a subscription series of classical concerts held at the Yigal Allon. This series brings well known prominent classical musicians, such as members of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and others, to Safed for a variety of concerts. This means that locals and residents of the north can hear great chamber music without having to travel to the center of the country. This year's players included Roman Rabinovich, the winner of the 2008 Rubinstein Competition in a piano recital.

The Safed Music Festival

This classical music festival has been running in Safed for the last four years under the impetus and guidance of Musical Director, Ada Peleg, the conductor of the Israel Virtuosi Orchestra. Held in July each year it offers a series of quality concerts which attract people from all over the north. Last year's Festival included a classic version of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" as well as a variety of chamber music.

Master Classes

Every year the music festival has offered a series of Master classes and last year Safed was very privileged to have the distinguished British conductor Colin Metters presenting the classes.

Ada Pelleg

Ada Pelleg is a well known Israeli conductor and has conducted the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra as well as her own Israel Virtuosi Orchestra. She is also the Music Director of the Haifa Music Center and the Israel International Flute Competition.

Ada is not only the Musical Director of the Safed Classical Music Festival; she is the driving force behind it. She plans the festival itself and she uses her personal contacts to encourage artists of an international caliber to come to Safed and participate in the Festival and the winter concert series.

As part of her personal commitment to Safed and the Festival, she arranged for a really good Yamaha piano to be lent to the Yigal Allon Theater, which otherwise wouldn't have a piano of sufficient standard

She would like the Classical Festival to be as well known as the Klezmer Festival and by starting the subscription series of concerts in the winter is busy building a local audience.

She hopes to expand the Festival and the subscription series in the future but like most artists everywhere she struggles to get sufficient funding and sponsorship.

Safed 2009 Festival

This year's festival is planned for July 2^nd -4^th 2009 and the program is still to be confirmed. Opportunities to sponsor or fund individual aspects of the program are still available and interested parties should contact Ada Pelleg direct. [email protected]

For further information about subscription concert tickets or the Festival