The Israel Festival Jerusalem, which began in 1961 with a modest series of classical concerts, has become not just one of the most important events in Israel’s cultural calendar but also a festival of repute on the international stage.

This year, the 54th Israel Festival is a three-week celebration of the performing arts featuring events in dance, theatre, visual and performance arts, and classical, Israeli and world music, with international and Israeli performers.

The festival kicked off on 28 May and will run through to 24 June.

The venues include some of Jerusalem’s iconic outdoor landmarks, including the Tower of David, the First Train Station and the Sultan’s Pool. Other performances will take place at the Jerusalem Theatre, the Gerard Behar Center, Beit Shmuel, the Israel Museum, Beit Mazia and Hansen House.

Some highlights of this year’s programme are:

In music: The Israel Festival opened with a unique openair performance by Shalom Hanoch at the Sultan’s Pool. An Israeli musical giant, Hanoch hosted Israel’s greatest musical talents – Yehuda Poliker, Danny Sanderson, and Berry Sakharof – who each made their own contributions to Hanoch’s creative world. The musical ensemble also included Hanoch’s long-standing partner, Moshe Levi, plus Ronnie Peterson, Ziv Harpaz, Asher Fedi, Tal Aviram and Yossi Fine. This performance is part of the Israel Festival’s longstanding tradition of showcasing Israel’s greatest performing artists, in appreciation of their iconic contribution to the soundtrack of our lives.