The Academic Department of Music at the Givat Washington Academy was invited to perform at the International Festival of Andalusian Music in Morocco in October 2022. Dr. Racheli Galai, head of the department, said, “It is a huge privilege to perform alongside the greatest experts of Andalusian music.”
The organizers of the International Festival of Andalusian Music in Morocco invited members of the department to perform at the Festival Marocain de la Musique Andalouse, which was produced by the Moroccan Association for Andalusian Music under the direction of Fatima Mbashur L’Association Marocaine de la Musique Andalouse and is under the auspices of the Moroccan Ministry of Culture.
The festival took place in October in the cities of Rabat and Casablanca. The Givat Washington Ensemble of Musicians, representing Israel at the festival, participated in three concerts together with the Andalusian Orchestra of Fez, under the musical direction of Maestro Mohamed Briouel Mohamed, the foremost expert on Andalusian music.
The head of the department, Dr. Racheli Galai, who specializes in performing Jewish music on cello and research in artistic Jewish music, led the ensemble on its trip to Morocco. “It is a huge privilege to perform alongside the greatest experts of Andalusian music,” she said. “The collaboration in ancient musical works that the Jews of Morocco help to develop is very exciting for us. This is an example and an opportunity to promote values of cultural dialogue and peace, and I am proud to be part of this festival.”