Israel Music Showcase Festival Returns With 50 Shows Across Jerusalem and Tel Aviv

The annual Israel Music Showcase Festival will return next week for its 17th edition, running November 17 to 22 at venues across Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, organizers said. The six-day event features 50 performances, including some shows with free admission, and is aimed in large part at music industry professionals visiting from abroad.

The festival has been overseen since its founding by The Yellow Submarine, a Jerusalem music organization, with support from the Foreign Ministry's Cultural Diplomacy Division, Eden, the Jerusalem Economic Development Company, the Jerusalem Municipality's Youth Authority, the Jerusalem Foundation, and the Jerusalem Municipality itself.

This year's lineup spans a wide range of genres. Among the performers are singer-songwriters Yael Deckelbaum and 32-year-old Tamir Grinberg, both of whom perform much of their material in English, as well as cellist and vocalist Maya Belsitzman, who appears alongside drummer Matan Ephrat.

Also on the program are The Addis Ken Project, an Ethio-jazz band, pianist and singer-songwriter Tamar Shawki, whose work draws on jazz and Arabic music, and the Nigun Quartet, a jazz group that incorporates hassidic melodies into its compositions.

One of the more notable offerings is Portman-T, a collaboration between Ethiopian-Israeli singer Ester Rada, jazz saxophonist Daniel Zamir, and singer-guitarist Michael Meital.

Percussionists Itamar Doari and Zohar Fresco will represent the country's ethnic music traditions, while crossover acts include Afrobeat, jazz and groove group Deswa, bassist Shay Hazan, whose work combines jazz, hip-hop and Gnawa influences, electronic duo Shiran & Bakal, and the electronic and Middle Eastern groove band Boogie Balagan.

The festival is designed as a showcase for visiting industry figures rather than a conventional concert series. Artistic directors, festival organizers and record label staff are expected to attend from Germany, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Sweden, the United States, Japan and India, where organizers hope the exposure will lead to invitations for Israeli artists to perform abroad.

Tickets and the full program are available at the festival's website, musicshowcaseil.com/program.