| Programs & Concerts |
The acclaimed Gospel-Jazz concert, an exciting evening of Soul and Afro-American Gospel Music – with a tantalizing zing of Israeli spiciness – features a 10-member choir and four instrumentalists. It has now been seen by more 50,000 people and leading music critics have described the show as “...nothing short of exhilarating!” The Gospel ensemble made its debut at the 2001 Red Sea Jazz Festival and performed at the 2008 Arad Festival and has also worked with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The show features:
· Original arrangements of Jazz & Gospel classics
· Original Israeli Gospel music – Hebrew prayers sung in Gospel style
· Yemenite medley with lyrics from the Scriptures
· Music from Ludwig Van Beethoven to Stevie Wonder
Their fourth album Gospel-Jazz Live is a live concert recording.
The Instrumentalists:
Iris Portugaly - lead vocals
Ofer Portugaly – piano, arrangements & musical production
Ori Ben Zvi – guitar
Oded Goldshmidt – bass
Amir David - drums
The Choir: Sopranos: Liora Hanukoglu-Gonzalez, Ariella Abrahamson, Orit Shalom, Keren Ilenberg, Eden Holan,
Altos: Michal Guy, Ayelet Chen, Maya Johanna Menachem, Etan Salomon
Tenors: Amit Deitchman, Gil Mozes, Ohad Shragai, Noam Galperin
Baritone: Oded Godstein, Ray Livnat
The Beginning of Gospel Jazz "We are not religious, we are not of the Christian faith – we are not even of African descent. Still, we manage to capture and generate the spirit of faith, dedication, optimism, hope and love of mankind, which make Gospel music so appealing." “We also manage to keep within Israel's cultural and musical context by creating a synthesis between Gospel music and traditional Hebrew prayers set to our own original music and arrangements. In doing so, I believe that we have managed to create a unique genre of 'Israeli Gospel'... something unlike any other Gospel music in the world." Iris & Ofer Portugaly. Following a successful musical tour in Nigeria in May 1999, Ofer Portugaly returned to Israel determined to form a special musical ensemble, the spirit of which would focus on Gospel and African-American music. At the college where he teaches – the Rimon Institute for Jazz and Contemporary music in Ramat Ha’Sharon, just north of Tel Aviv– he set out to realize his dream by establishing a Gospel Choir which performs with a Jazz ensemble. The intensity of the ensemble’s work has created a special bond among its members. Teachers, instrumentalists and singers alike all came together to form a highly professional team which seems more like a family than a performing group. "This is the only show in Israel where there is no need to audition the singers. We simply hand-picked the best students available now that they have all finished their studies, we continue working together as colleagues," explains Iris Portugaly, head of Rimon's vocal department and the lead vocalist of the group. The Gospel project has resulted in cooperation with some of the leading artists in the local and international music industry such as: the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (link); the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (link), and others.* (more ex Ofer).... Click Here To Watch Video Clips From Gospel-Jazz
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