Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

Since its founding 85 years ago, The Israel Philharmonic has been associated with some of the greatest names in classical music. Its first concert, held December 26, 1936 in Tel Aviv, was conducted by Italy’s Arturo Toscanini, who at the time was one of the world’s most famous musicians. Iconic American conductor Leonard Bernstein first led the orchestra in November 1948 and continued to perform with it throughout his life. In 1977, acclaimed Indian-born conductor Zubin Mehta became the Israel Philharmonic’s music director and held the position until his retirement in 2019. Glenn Gould, Kurt Masor, Gil Shaham and Plácido Domingo are among the other star musicians to have performed with the orchestra.

Today, The Israel Philharmonic is led by Lahav Shani, a 33-year-old, Tel Aviv-born pianist who has played and conducted with symphonies across the globe, including the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, where he is chief conductor. Considered a principal cultural ambassador for Israel, the orchestra travels the world to play festivals and concert halls.

Program:
Paul Ben-Haim: Symphony No. 1
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D Major “Titan”