About
The Keshet Eilon Summer Mastercourse
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The Mastercourse is the flagship program of the Keshet Eilon Music Center, which is moving toward becoming a year round center for string performance and education. The Mastercourse is held every summer for a three-week period. Built around an intensive series of masterclasses, personal lessons and student concerts, the program is ledby internationally known teachers and artists from all parts of the world. Participants have the opportunity to gain experience in solo and ensemble performances before audiences in the kibbutz, throughout the Western Galilee region and in Tel Aviv. |
 Prof. Haim Taub during a masterclass |
| All concerts and masterclasses are open to the public. In addition, the program includes such innovative elements as a Violin- and Bow-making Atelier for the care of the qualitative instruments used by the students and faculty; archery training, a unique sports concept for violinists pioneered by Keshet Eilon. Keshet Eilon also sees as its aim the encouragement of the composition and performance of Israeli music. The location of the kibbutz on Israel’s mountainous northern border provides a verdant haven in which musicians can detach themselves from their daily routine and devote themselves exclusively to their music. | |
| Organizing the Mastercourse begins 6-7 months before the summer. Publicity materials with details about the Mastercourse are sent to various music venues in Israel and throughout the world, including music academies; workshops that build, repair and sell violins and bows; well-known teachers; and interested individuals. Applicants of all nationalities, ages 16 to 26, who have attained a high standard of performance may register by completing our Application Form and forwarding an audition recording of two pieces by different composers and in different styles, in a media file in a well-known format supported by Windows Media Player, or through a link to YouTube. The acceptance committee, headed by Music Director Itzhak Rashkovsky, selects the applicants primarily on the basis of musical level. Other factors, though, are also taken into consideration, such as age, country of origin, financial situation, and a balance between the number of violinists from Israel and those from abroad. | |
| All the masterclasses - lessons given by violin masters - are open to the public. For the young violinist they are the highlight of his/her musical training, even more important than the concerts themselves (which are also open to the public). The student violinists come to the masterclass after having prepared a specific work. The encounter with the teacher allows the student an opportunity to hone his/her playing in advance of a performance and, more broadly, to be guided by advice on technique and style so essential to a music career. Masterclasses and concerts take place at the Keshet Eilon concert hall. |
 Distinguished guest artist Ida Haendel |
| The Gala Concert in the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center – Opera House is one of the high points of the Mastercourse. It allows the participants to perform before a large, supportive and enthusiastic audience. Several of the violinists appear as soloists or in small ensembles, and all take part in the final ensemble together with their teachers, led by Prof. Itzhak Rashkovsky. The concert has become a tradition, attracting friends and supporters of Keshet Eilon who view the occasion as a way of demonstrating their commitment to this unique project. |
 Ensemble Keshet Eilon The Opera House, Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center |
| The Keshet Eilon facilities provide the student violinists with all their needs. The campus includes dormitories, classrooms, practice rooms, faculty residences, a concert hall and a music library. | |
| Accommodation – Participants live two to three in a room in air-conditioned dormitory-style facilities. The three main meals of the day are taken in the communal dining hall, with light snacks served in the dorm area. The kibbutz also has a small grocery where snacks, soft drinks and the like are on sale. Full postal, telephone, fax and Internet services are available, as is the use of the kibbutz's outdoor swimming pool and tennis courts. | |
| Practice facilities A large number of practice rooms are located throughout the kibbutz. Music Library Located in an attractively converted former grain silo, the library contains a distinctive collection of violin music (scores), chamber music, and literature about the violin. A rare collection of CDs and DVDs may also be explored, and Internet access is available. |
 Inside view of the Keshet Eilon Music library |
| Social activities: Activities include informal evening get-togethers, a tour of the region, and use of our outdoor swimming pool and tennis courts. The friendly rural atmosphere of the kibbutz provides an ideal environment for both work and relaxation. |
 Students trip to Nazareth |
