Founded by the Polyphony Education association, the Galilee Chamber Orchestra broke ground as the first professional orchestra composed of Arab and Jewish musicians in Israel. The orchestra, led by pianist and conductor Saleem Abboud Ashkar, integrates exceptional young musicians with leading members of Israeli orchestras to provide a fresh sound and a unique energy to its audience and ensures an uncompromising quality of playing. The orchestra often performs in Israel and recently completed tours in Europe and America, in which it performed, among others, at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Corner Hall in Toronto, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Christuskirche Hannover, the Osnabrück Music Festival, and the Rheingau Festival. The orchestra performed with world-renowned musicians, including cellist Lynn Harrell and pianist András Schiff. Furthermore, the orchestra is expected to perform in a series of performances with the Israeli Opera and the Eilat Camber International Festival. Intending to bring classical music to peripheral areas, the orchestra and its members participate in the educational program of Polyphony and perform in schools and kindergartens throughout the year.
