A space dedicated to multicultural artistic creation and fostering social leadership

Introduction

The Zubin   Mehta   Center  for the Arts will be established in the heart of the Jezreel   Valley , in the foothills of the Nazareth Hills, facing Mt.  Tabor,  the Gilboa and Carmel mountain ranges. This distinctive geographical intersection, which constitutes a multicultural meeting place, is home to the regional council, the Jezreel Valley Academic College, and the multicultural Jezreel Valley Center for the Arts.  

The new Center will serve as a warm home for all who come through its doors: artists, artistic creators, culture and art lovers, and visitors. It will be planned and built as a cultural space for artistic creation, rapprochement and cooperation between communities, for fostering social leadership and promoting human brotherhood in the region, the country, and the world.  

Jezreel   Valley  Regional Council

 

The Zubin   Mehta   Center  for the Arts will be built in the Jezreel Valley Regional Council, which covers an area of approximately 330 dunam (80 acres). The region’s 36,000 residents constitute a diverse cultural fabric, and live in various forms of settlement: kibbutz, moshav, community settlement, and Arab village. The population is typified by community robustness, cohesiveness, and cooperation in a variety of areas.

The Jezreel   Valley   Center  for the Arts and the MIFNE Program 

The Jezreel   Valley   Center  for the Arts includes a music center and a dance center. Both centers have been been operating for many years, educational foster rich and diverse arts and cultural activities. It was the Center’s extensive activities that paved the way for the MIFNE program, which was inspired by the vision of Maestro Zubin Mehta, supported by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University - sponsored by Bank Leumi and the Arab-Israel Bank. The MIFNE program promotes joint musical and artistic creation for Jews and Arabs, thereby building a cultural bridge and forging ties between communities.

As a result of the MIFNE program’s development and success, a genuine need has arisen to expand the Center for the Arts and build a new integrated complex featuring an auditorium for Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, music conferences, seminars, and regional, national, and international cultural events – a center dedicated to multicultural artistic creation and fostering social leadership in the Jezreel Valley.

The Zubin   Mehta   Center  for the Arts

Four main spheres of artistic creation will serve as foundations in planning the new complex: the local, regional, national, and international spheres.

The local sphere will facilitate encounters between Jezreel   Valley  residents, as well as their artistic, cultural, and community endeavor. This sphere will incorporate the activities of the Jezreel   Valley   Center  for the Arts, the dance school branches, and the schools in Jezreel   Valley  and Nazareth  participating in the Musical Schools Project, and community and educational activities in conjunction with the regional council and the academic college.

In the regional sphere residents of the Jezreel   Valley  and Galilee will work and create in collaboration with the various regional councils, municipalities, organizations, and educational and cultural institutions in the north of Israel .

In the national and international sphere people, organizations, and institutions from all over Israel , the Mediterranean   Basin , and around the world will take part in artistic creation.

The mutual enrichment between the various creative spheres will encourage artistic creation and inspire similar activities in additional places in Israel  and around the world.

The New Complex

 

A large auditorium will be built in the center of the new complex, with approximately 1,200 seats, for Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, as well as dance performances, and regional conferences.

Diverse cultural and artistic activities will be held in the new complex:

  • Orchestra, choir, and music ensemble concerts.

  • Large-scale cultural performances.

  • Artistic creation and theatre workshops.

  • A platform for artists from the Jezreel   Valley  and its environs in artistic creation, dance, and music.

  • Regional, national, and international seminars and conferences.

  • Galleries for temporary exhibitions.

  • A library, information center, and more…

     

The unique design of the new complex, its size, planning, and multidisciplinary designation, as well as its location in the heart of the Jezreel Valley, in close proximity to the regional council and academic college, close to Nazareth and the ‘Capital of the Valley’ Afula, will all make it possible to hold seminars and large-scale conferences in its facilities, and turn it into a world-renowned center.

Conclusion

“For still I do believe in man, and in his spirit, strong and bold” (Shaul Tchernichovsky)

The Zubin   Mehta   Center for the Arts will constitute a source of inspiration for artistic and cultural endeavor, and social and inter-community rapprochement in the Jezreel   Valley , in Israel , and all over the world.

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  The Zubin Mehta Center for the Arts