The project in more detail This year-long programme in 2008, to be as effective as possible, will take four different forms to reach different target audiences and areas of the musical life of Britain. Under the general title of Musical Dialogues of East and West it will be carried out in different kinds of Institutions across the country. here is some more detail. 1. Academic Institutions: The Jewish Music Institute FIM will collaborate with Oxford University Department of Music to engage the highest academic minds from across the world in an International Conference on Musical Dialogues of East and West Led by head of Faulty the composer Robert Saxton it will include members of the Departments of Languages and Religions. This to take place in the summer or autumn of 2008. The Conference will look at the impact of Arabic modes and sonorities on the Western classical music tradition. Although this is now a hot topic in musical circles, it was the highly trained musicians fleeing Nazi Germany to Palestine who first came across this and reacted to it and Israeli composers have been addressing this situation for nearly 100 years. The world is interested in how they have adapted to and adopted these sounds and scales. There will be distinguished professors from Oxford, Israel and from around the world attending this conference. The JMI Visiting Composer from Israel will play an important role. 2. Music schools and colleges: Visiting Composer from Israel, Michael Wolpe to conduct workshops lectures and masterclasses. The Spiro Ark Tzavta will engage the next generation of musicians, composers and teachers through masterclasses and workshops with the 'Visiting Composer from Israel' who this year is Michael Wolpe of the Jerusalem Academy. This part of the project will include a Competition for students from selected academies and an Israeli Music Festival where a music academy will host a 3 or 4 day festival where musicians from all over the world, young and old, can come together to celebrate the classical music of Israel. Already in our plans are Birmingham University Music Department, Oxford University, Trinity College London and the Yehudi Menuhin School. Scores of chamber music of all kinds have already been placed in some of the music colleges by The Spiro Ark Tzavta and more will be brought during the year. We will commission a new work for this anniversary from the Visiting Composer 3. Music societies and Jewish organisations: Touring Chamber concerts and also illustrated lectures will be set up featuring Israeli musicians and also British performers. These will be put in a brochure and offered to British music societies and to Jewish organisations including synagogues wanting to celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary with music. This part of the project will be run by Tzavta with together with JMI FIM and is supported by the Embassy of Israel. 4. The concert-going establishment: will be engaged in the JMI Jewish Culture Day on Sunday 30 November 2008 at London's prestigious Queen Elizabeth Hall in the South Bank Centre. The orchestra will be the Oxford Philomusica. The main work will be the Piano Concerto by Paul Ben Haim. It will be performed by the outstanding Israeli pianist Gila Goldstein who is now resident in New York City who has performed this work to great acclaim in Berlin, Jerusalem and New York. This will be set in context with other Israeli and well known international composers. We will also commission a new work from our Visiting Composer from Israel which will have its première at this event. This will be part of a whole day Celebrating Israeli music with a lecture and panel discussion in the morning and three recitals in the Purcell Room all focused on some aspect of Israeli music including a recital by the winners of The Spiro Ark Israeli Music Competition. Musical Dialogues of East and West will be organised and presented by the JMI Forum for Israeli Music (FIM) together with The Spiro Ark Tzavta .