In celebration of March as the month dedicated to the achievements of women all around the world, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) Foundation has released a short film saluting the accomplishments of seven pioneering women who served among earliest members of the famed Orchestra.
Even before the creation of the State of Israel, when the Orchestra was still known as the Palestine Symphony Orchestra, its founder Bronislaw Huberman included women among its performers. That decision in 1936 is particularly outstanding as many leading orchestras refrained from recruiting women until the latter part of the twentieth century. Each of the highly skilled women musicians, most of whom were refugees from Europe, faced deep personal challenges because of their careers which are detailed in the film.
“Among Israel’s many modern accomplishments is our national effort to promote the place of women in areas of public prominence and this was something that the IPO prioritized from the earliest days of our existence,” says Tali Gottlieb, Executive Director of the Israel Philharmonic Foundation. “This film allows viewers to understand that without these women, in many ways our orchestra would not be cultural icon that it is for Israel today.”
The film utilizes archival footage combined with interviews with relatives and students of the original female members to help give them their much-deserved credit. “These women never viewed themselves as role models or activists but their accomplishments have helped pave the way to motivate and inspire young women to embrace music.”
Hosted by Israeli actor and singer Ania Bukstein, the film was produced in collaboration with the American Friends of the IPO and is available for viewing on YouTube. It concludes with a tribute performance by a quartet of four female IPO musicians who in many ways owe their careers to the path forged by those first seven women.
For more information:
Dena Wimpfheimer
054-659-7796
dena@djwconsult.com