Ensembles & Choirs
The ESNCM establishes and runs ensembles and choirs of different musical genres, and as the Conservatory expands towards its vision of music being part of every Palestinian home, so the number and quality of these ensembles increases. The groups are formed from students and teachers from within the ESNCM and from outside the Conservatory,and they often perform locally in the festivals organized by the ESNCM, or upon invitation from other cultural organizations in Palestine or abroad. Among the most prominent groups are:
| The Oriental Music Ensemble |
A distinguished ensemble of musicians of the ESNCM, which works to preserve and present classical oriental instrumental music. The 5 to 7-member takht ensemble prroduced its first CD Emm il-Khilkhal in the year 2000. The Ensemble performs regularly in Palestinian festivals and has also played in the UK, Belgium, Greece and the United States. Current group members are Suhail Khoury on Ney and Clarinet, Ahmad Al Khatib on Oud, Ibrahim Atari on Qanoun, and Yousef Zayed and Youssef Hbeisch on Percussion. Contact
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| The Jerusalem Arabic Music Ensemble |
This was founded in 2009 on the occasion of “Al Quds, the Cultural Capital of the Arab World”, and is made up of Jerusalem-based teachers in the Arabic Music department. Its debut performance featured the renowned Palestinian-American musician Simon Shaheen, in a program of songs from the golden age of Egyptian cinema. Contact
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| The Bethlehem Arabic Music Ensemble |
Founded in 2009 under the direction of Dia' Rishmawi, this is Bethlehem's premier student Arabic Music ensemble. It has performed as far afield as Santiago, Chile. The ensemble plays traditional and Tarab Arabic music. Contact
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| Turath - Ramallah |
Founded in 2006 by oud teacher Samer Totah, Turath ('Heritage') performs Arabic vocal and instrumental music by such renowned musicians as Abdel Wahhab, Zakaria Ahmad and Wadi Safi. The Ensemble is formed of around ten musicians from amongst the students and teachers of the Ramallah branch of the ESNCM. Contact
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| Maqamat Al-Quds |
Founded in 2010, Maqamat al-Quds had its international debut at the Jazz Festival in Paris. It is composed of 12 student musicians under the direction of oud teacher Luay Abbasi, and performs Tarab music by Riad al-Sunbati, Abdel Wahab, the Rahbani Brothers and others.Contact
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| Nisan Choir |
Nisan was founded in 2012, and is a Ramallah-based girl's choir directed by George Ghattas. Its members are between 8 and 13 years old, and come mainly from the St. Joseph's School in Ramallah. Nisan has performed at the Ramallah Municipality Festival and at the ESNCM's celebration of the works of Salvador Arnita. Recent projects have included the work of Odeh Turjman and Walid Abdel Salam, and in June 2015 they performed a new and highly-acclaimed production of the Fairuz musical Mais al-Reem to a full house at Ramallah Cultural Palace. Contact
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| Banat al-Quds |
Banat al-Quds is an all-female choir and Arabic music ensemble, based in Jerusalem and founded in 2013. Its twenty-seven student members include oud, qanoun, flute, violin, bass and oriental percussion players as well as singers, and it is led jointly by Suhail Khoury, who coaches the choir, and Luaiy Abbasi who coaches the takht ensemble. Their repertoire includes songs by the Rahbani Brothers, Sheikh Imam, Mohammad Abdel Wahhab, Hussein Nazek, Farid al-Atrash, Ahmad Qabour and Suhail Khoury. In 2016 Banat al-Quds won the Best Regional Choir prize at the ChoirFest Middle East in the UAE. Contact
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| The Palestine Girls' Choir |
The Palestine Girls' Choir is a 20-member, 3-voice choir which sings Arabic songs, Palestinian national songs and heritage songs, in special harmonized arrangements. It is led in Jerusalem by Suhail Khoury. Contact
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