There seems to be a constant stream of festivals in Jerusalem, Israel,
and this week is the annual music festival, Sounds of the Old City.
Nighttime music festivals are not the best ops for photos,
but some of these backdrops and stages are indeed spectacular.
Starting outside of Jaffa Gate,
the Na’am Ensemble was the opening act,
followed by a performance by Gole Anar.
Most of the names of the folk singers are not familiar to Anglo audiences.
On the stage next to The Tower of David, the Alaev Family
included family members dressed in colorful Bukharan clothing.
There were over 11 mapped out performance locations,
the Dilijan Ensemble was #4 along the route.
A few locations were standouts,
like #3, down in the Tower of David moat!
The show with the music of Taverna band, hosted by Shimon Parnas,
was almost secondary to the site.
Built for protection so many years ago, who could imagine this musical scene?
Ketem Paz, a group of religious and secular artists,
who sing Yemenite melodies from traditional texts,
performed in the Open Cardo as the opening act.
What a stage!
Also, students from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance
were playing along the route.
Signs showed the way through the Muslim Quarter
and the shuk, market,
but as usual I got lost.
They need more and better signs.
By a photo in the free information booklet (available in English, Hebrew and Arabic)
it seems that I saw Lelot HaMizrach and not the Sahara trio.
Finally, I ended up in Muristan Square where
the Hebrews of Dimona were belting out
some old US favorites from the Four Seasons that even got the attention of even the very young.
Not everyone out at night was interested in live music,
and some were shopping in Mamilla Mall.
Thousands and thousands of people,
from around the world were on the Jerusalem, Israel streets.
But if there is no violence, just sounds of music, then it is not news.
Be warned though, that not only is the Old City closed to vehicles,
but some streets in Old City were even blocked for pedestrians,
like the street by the new still not quite open Waldorf-Astoria.
Sounds of the Old City runs from March 31 – April 3, 7-11:00 pm.
