About us

The Tivon Israel Chamber Choir was founded in 1974 and today numbers over 40 talented non-professional singers from Kiryat Tivon and nearby communities in the north of Israel.
 
The Choir’s repertoire includes a wide range of acapella and oratorio oeuvres from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classic, and Romantic periods, as well as contemporary Israeli and folk songs. We sing in Latin, Hebrew, German, English, French, and Italian—and many members of the Choir fluently speak two or more of these languages!
 
The Choir regularly performs locally in northern Israel and at festivals and concerts throughout the country. Additionally we have represented Israel in concerts and festivals abroad over the years. Among the Israeli performances are:

 
  • Acco Vocal Festival (televised) in 1993
  • National “Zimriya” Concerts in Jerusalem and in Acco
  • Jewish Musical Festival in Tzfat
  • Multiple appearances in Haifa’s “Chag of Chagim” since 2005
  • Nine annual Abu Ghosh Vocal Festival appearances to date
 
Some of the appearances outside of Israel over the years include performances in:
  • Europa Cantata—a few starting from 1991
  • Neustift Festival in southern Tirol in 2002 — performing Dvorak's Stabat Mater  and recorded by the Italian Radio.
  • Poland: a series of concerts, including a special meeting in Auschwitz with choirs from Poland and Germany in 2007.
  • Germany and Switzerland — as part of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day in January 2014 — in a series of concerts with the Zamir and Oratorio choirs and 3 separate symphony orchestras performing the works of composer Yitzhak Tavior in Nurnberg, Hof, and in the UN in Geneva.  Performances in both Germany and Geneva were televised.
  • Finland Helsinki - August 2015, singing with the local Kallio Cantata Choir in a program including Laude Sion (Mendelssohn) and an acapella repertoire.
  • Lewandowski festival in Berlin - December 2017
  • "Elias" oratorio in Freiburg & Villingen, Germany - April 2018. Two concerts were performed sucsesfuly, with local soloists and Kamerata Academica Orchestra of Freiburg, (see Photos & Movies)
The Tivon Israel Chamber Choir has performed with well-known orchestras such as the:  Israel Philharmonic, Israel Chamber, Jerusalem Baroque, Be'er Sheva Symphony, Haifa Symphony, and Jerusalem Festival Orchestra. The Choir has sung opera works such as La Traviatta by Verdi and many others as well as works from modern Israeli composers, among them Yitzhak Tavior, and Yehezkel Brown. Additionally, the choir has performed works written expressly for us by contemporary Israeli composers Gil Shochat, Dov Carmel, and Eren Dinor.
 
More recent performances include:
  • David Penitenta (Mozart) with the Jerusalem Festival Orchestra (2012)
  • Vespera (Mozart) with the Israeli Cameri Orchestra under the wand of Yoav Talmi (2013)
  •  “Singing Psalms” program, including classical and modern liturgical works, in Latin, Hebrew, English, and German—all inspired by the book of Psalms (in 2014 and 2015)
  • In May 2015, hosting the Camarata Academia, symphony Orchestra of Freiburg and two choirs from Freiburg, Germany and Besancon, France in a series of gala performances in Israel with orchestra of Stabat Mater by Dvorak. 
  • In August 2015, the Choir visited Helsinki, Finland, singing with the local Kallio Cantata Choir in a program including Laude Sion (Mendelssohn) and an acapella repertoire.
  • In April 2016, Handel’s Messiah in few performances in northern Israel.
  • in 2016-2017, it performed “Lights by Sound” ─ a program of magnificent movements from famous Oratorios for choir & soloists, in several venues in Israel
     
Conductor and Musical Director
Dor Magen 


Itai Berkovitch replaced Yael Avital Wagner as conductor and musiacal director on Mid 2019. His CV will be updated, soon.
 
 
Accompanying Pianist
Irit Shuman

 
Born in Israel, Irit is a graduate of the Rubin Music Academy Tel Aviv in pianist program under the  tutelage of Prof. Yonatan Zakh.

She also accomplished with excellence specializing in choral conducting in the Levinsky Tel Aviv college under the supervision of Mrs. Rachel Kokhavi. Irit has accompanied the Tivon Israel Chamber Choir since 1996 and also performs as an accompanying pianist in shows, performances, and rehearsals with other ensembles groups in their performances in Israel and abroad.
 
2016
2017
2010