The Rishon Lezion Festival will take place, for the 36th time, at various venues around the city, October 19-22. Free concerts are set for the municipality piazza, the Beit Ha’am Square, and Hamoshava Park, with indoor shows scheduled for Live Park and Hechal Hatarbut.
Evergreen octogenarian crooner Israel Prize laureate Yehoram Gaon is in the mix as are fellow old-timers, 70-something stalwarts of the national rock-pop scene, Shalom Hanoch, Danny Sanderson, and Riki Gal.
Ethnic and Mediterranean fare also feature prominently, with the likes of Mizrachi singer Sarit Hadad, the globally acclaimed Idan Raichel Project, and veteran Yemenite-influenced crooner Boaz Sharabi also in the program. Rock doyen Yehuda Poliker joins the seasoned T-Slam rock act, which should pack a punch or two, while Miri Mesika will bring her own brew of rock, pop, and ethnic music to the festival.
60th anniversary for Sharabi
The Sharabi slot is a milestone event, marking the vocalist’s 60 years in the entertainment business. He will be joined by guests singer-guitarist Mosh Ben-Ari; former Eurovision Song Contest winner Gali Atari; and Ishay Ribo in a cross-generational tribute, performing numbers from various points of Sharabi’s long career to date.
Singer-songwriter Shlomi Shaban guests in the Hanoch concert, and veteran vocalist Mazzie Cohen reunites with old sparring partner Sanderson. The two collaborated in the late 1970s as members of Gazoz. There is also a fitting tribute to the country’s preeminent female songwriter, Naomi Shemer, to mark the 20th anniversary of her passing.
For tickets and more information: htrl.co.il/category.asp?category=2210
