Jerusalem Youth Chorus

Jerusalem Youth Chorus
Choir
OriginJerusalem
Founded2012 (2012)
FounderMicah Hendler
Genre
Members30
DirectorAmer Abu Arqub
Artistic DirectorMicah Hendler
Chief conductorMatan Serry
Websitejerusalemyouthchorus.org

The Jerusalem Youth Chorus (JYC) is a joint Palestinian-Israeli youth chorus based in Jerusalem.[1][2] As of October 2023, the group had 30 singers and 75 alumni, and was led by executive director Amer Abu Arqub, who is himself a JVC alum.[3]

Community and dialogue

JYC aims to promote dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. Their weekly rehearsals include dialogue sessions bookended by musical practice. Dialogue sessions include both Jewish and Palestinian facilitators and an interpreter for chorus members who do not speak both Arabic and Hebrew.[4]

Repertoire

The chorus' repertoire includes songs in English, Arabic, and Hebrew.[5] They have performed songs by Fairuz, Hadag Nahash, and American artists, and created their own mashups and original songs.[6]

A recurring piece in JYC's repertoire is the song "Home", originally performed by American artist Phillip Phillips. In 2014, a video performance by the group, accompanied by Sam Tsui, received viral attention online.[7] They created a digital performance of the song during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.[8] The song was also the chosen piece for their America's Got Talent audition in 2024.

Demographics

By 2014, the group had 26 singers: 13 Israelis and 13 Palestinians.[9]

As of May 2023, about two-thirds of JYC's singers were girls and one-third were boys; generally, more Israeli girls than boys are involved, and more Palestinian boys than girls are involved.[5]

As of October 2023, the group had 30 singers and 75 alumni.[3]

History

The chorus was founded in 2012 by Micah Hendler,[10] who formulated the idea while in the Seeds for Peace program.[3] Initially, Hendler attended high schools in East and West Jerusalem to recruit teenage singers for the chorus.[11] For the chorus's first few years, they avoided publicity, fearing their singers would receive backlash or be pressured to leave.[5]

In 2014, JYC was featured on David Broza's album East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem.[9]

In 2015, JYC performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[5]

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, JYC shifted to focus on dialogue and collaborative songwriting over group singing in person.[12][4]

In August 2022, JYC celebrated its tenth anniversary with a concert at the Jerusalem International YMCA.[6][4]

In October 2023, JVC performed as part of the virtual concert "Voices of Peace in Times of War".[13]

In April 2024, the group embarked on their second tour of the United States.[11] The tour was oringally scheduled for fall 2023, but was delayed following the October 7 attacks on Israel and the beginning of the Gaza war.[14] In June 2024, JYC released a statement officially calling for a ceasefire.[15]

In July 2024, the group performed on the TV show competition America's Got Talent. For their audition, they performed an acapella rendition of Phillip Phillips’s "Home".[10][16]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ Kershner, Isabel (2015-06-28). "Youth Chorus Unites Israelis and Palestinians, at Least for a Few Hours". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Catlin, Roger (2015-06-18). "In conflict zone, raising young Palestinian and Jewish voices". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ a b c Barone, Camillo (2023-10-23). "'I cry for both of us': For Jerusalem Youth Chorus, a canceled tour and a shared Jewish-Palestinian grief". The Forward. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  4. ^ a b c Zanger-Nadis, Maya (2022-08-02). "Jerusalem Youth Chorus celebrates a decade of musical harmony". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  5. ^ a b c d Wakabayashi, Liane Grunberg (2023-05-20). "Jerusalem Youth Chorus: Changing Israeli-Palestinian dialogue". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  6. ^ a b Steinberg, Jessica (2022-08-01). "Jerusalem Youth Chorus celebrates 10 years with YMCA concert". The Times of Israel.
  7. ^ Jordan, Eliana. "Youth choir made up of Palestinians and Israelis advances to second round of 'America's Got Talent'". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  8. ^ a b Steinberg, Jessica (2020-05-18). "Stars join Jewish-Arab youth chorus for video from a distance". The Times of Israel.
  9. ^ a b Wang, Lei (2014-08-25). "These Israeli and Palestinian kids would rather sing than fight". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  10. ^ a b Steinberg, Jessica (2024-07-20). "Jerusalem Youth Chorus planned 'Got Talent' audition after Oct. 7". The Times of Israel.
  11. ^ a b "Jerusalem Youth Chorus Has the Building Blocks for Peace". sfcv.org. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  12. ^ "Jerusalem Youth Chorus: 'Transcending conflict through song'". The Jerusalem Post. 2021-05-24. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  13. ^ "Jerusalem Youth Chorus performs 'Reason to Love'". PBS News. 2023-10-23. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  14. ^ "Israeli and Palestinian singers bring their hope for peace and justice to U.S." PBS News. 2024-04-30. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  15. ^ Cramer, Philissa (2024-07-23). "Israeli and Palestinian Jerusalem Youth Chorus Advances on 'America's Got Talent' With Performance of 'Home'". The Jewish Exponent. Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  16. ^ Brinn, David (2024-07-17). "Jerusalem Youth Chorus wows Simon Cowell on 'America's Got Talent'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
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