The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation (IPO Foundation, Hebrew: קרן התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית ''Keren ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit ha-Yisre'elit'') is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

dedicated to providing financial support to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Since its founding in 1981, the IPO Foundation has helped fund the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra's international tours, music education programs, and special musical events throughout Israel.

History

The IPO Foundation was founded in 1981 in response to the lack of a substantial Israeli government subsidy or

endowment fund A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are of ...

for the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The IPO Foundation's first act was to create an Endowment Fund for the Orchestra, invested with the principal of each donation kept intact. Income from the Endowment Fund is used both to finance the Orchestra's long-term projects and to balance the Orchestra's budget if revenues fall short of operating expenses in any given year. Over the years, the IPO Foundation has shifted its focus to financing the music education and community outreach initiatives of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra as well as maintaining the Endowment Fund and building a network of foundations and individuals who support the IPO. In 2012, the orchestra played compositions by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

for the first time inside the country since Israel's foundation in 1948. In June 2020, the annual gala was held online but a cyberattack causing the foundation's website to crash made it impossible for the 13,000 guests to attend the event. The gala was an opportunity to recover from the losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, the IPO created a virtual backstage tour of the Auditorium, including the musical library and the Philharmonic's archives.

Mission

It is the mission of the IPO Foundation to secure the financial future of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The IPO Foundation supports the Orchestra's international touring program, educational projects, a wide array of musical activities in Israel and an endowment fund to further ensure the IPO's future. Funds raised by IPO Foundation help the Orchestra initiate and strengthen existing programs, and maintain its standard of musical excellence without placing a financial burden on the IPO's budget or compromising its long-term stability. Contributions help to underwrite the IPO's international tours, expand and enhance the Orchestra's musical programs for Israeli youth, purchase valuable instruments to loan to Orchestra members, and preserve the Orchestra's history through archival projects.

Educational Programs

KeyNote

In addition to providing financial security to the Orchestra, the IPO Foundation funds the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra's Music Education and Community Outreach department, KeyNote (Hebrew: תכנית מפתח). Since its founding in 2001, KeyNote has established numerous programs for kindergarten, elementary school and high school students. Programs include teacher training, music education curricula, performances of IPO members at music classes once a semester; and concerts at which the pieces studied each semester are presented in concert. The KeyNote program collaborates with the music department at Levinsky Teachers College and is supervised by the musical education department of the

Israeli Ministry of Education The Ministry of Education ( he, מִשְׂרָד הַחִנּוּךְ, translit. ''Misrad HaHinukh''; ar, وزارة التربية والتعليم) is the branch of the Israeli government charged with overseeing public education institutions ...

. Over a three-year period, the students attend six Philharmonic morning concerts with pieces tailored to each age group. KeyNote in the Community is a similar program where musicians perform for rural communities, both Jewish and Arab, emphasizing education and curriculum development prior to concerts. The participants receive tickets and transportation to concerts at Mann Auditorium, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra's home in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

. In addition, KeyNote oversees Shesh-Besh, an ensemble that brings together musicians from the IPO and the Arab

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

communities of northern Israel. The group uses a mixture of instruments (

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

ney The ''ney'' ( fa, Ney/نی, ar, Al-Nāy/الناي), is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian music and Arabic music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. The ney has been played continually ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

, eastern violin, oud,

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

, and assorted

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

), and thus fuses elements from both Western and Arab music. The group performs throughout the country and has also toured internationally at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

and at the Tanglewood Music Festival. KeyNote also oversees Tochnit Mifne, a program founded by Maestro

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the foun ...

to promote education in Arab music as well as Western music for students of the

Galilee Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Galil ...

region. The program collaborates with the Beit Il Musika Conservatory in Sh'far'am and The Mouteran School in Nazareth in order to provide cross-cultural musical training for Israeli students of music.

Fundraising

The IPO Foundation hosts an annual Gala event featuring Maestro

at the helm of the IPO for a special concert at the Fredric R. Mann Auditorium, followed by live entertainment and dinner at the Hilton Tel Aviv, which overlooks the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

. Each year, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performs in countries around the world. IPO Foundation Patrons are invited to join the Orchestra and join specially designed tours. In addition to the IPO Foundation, the Orchestra is supported by the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, (AFIPO). Founded in 1980, AFIPO is a non-profit organization dedicated to sustaining the financial future of the Israel Philharmonic. AFIPO seeks to broaden the reach of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and bring its message through music throughout the world. The funds raised by AFIPO are directed towards assisting with the operational support of the Orchestra and its musical education programs throughout Israel. The organization, which has its headquarters in New York, sponsors events throughout the year to generate support for the orchestra and cultivate friends and donors throughout North America.

Jared Kushner Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman and investor. He served as a senior advisor to 45th U.S. president Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Since leaving the White House, Kushner founded Affinity Partners, a pri ...

's family ranks among the most notorious US donors to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation.Daniel Estrin
Trump son-in-law’s family donated to Israeli settler groups
''Pbs.org'', 6 December 2016

References

External links

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation

American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
{{Authority control Music organizations based in Israel Classical music in Israel Foundations based in Israel Organizations established in 1981