Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra (JBO), which has been described as "mother of all baroque ensembles in Israel," is the first one in this country that performed baroque music with period instruments while using playing techniques that were current during that era.
JBO was established in 1989 by the harpsichord player and conductor David Shemer, who has served as its musical director to this day. Since 2006, the world-renowned artist Maestro Andrew Parrott of England has been JBO's honorary conductor.
JBO runs a series of subscription concerts in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv with six different programs that include the best baroque and early classical compositions; from Monteverdi to Bach, from Schütz to Handel and from Purcell to Mozart. JBO appears in concerts throughout Israel and participates in all the important music festivals, such as the Israel Festival, "Musica Sacra" in Nazareth, "Liturgica" in Jerusalem and the Abu-Ghosh Festival of Vocal Music. The Orchestra records baroque music for the Israeli national radio station "Kol Hamusika".
Prominent artists from Europe and the USA appear as JBO's guest soloists and conductors, among them are: Andrew Parrott, Roberto Gini, Michael Schneider, James Bowman, Kati Debretzeni, Peter Harvey, Walter Reiter, Alfredo Bernardini, John Holloway, and others. Likewise, a number of leading Israeli soloists of baroque music have appeared with the Orchestra.
JBO was the first to bring to the Israeli audience historically informed performances by local artists of the iconic works of the Baroque repertoire, such as Bach B minor Mass, St. Matthew's and St. John's Passion, or Handel "Messiah". No less notable is its pioneering work in performance of little known Baroque masterpieces: the ballet "Anacreon" by Rameau, Handel's oratorio "Alexander's Feast", Odes by Telemann, or Alessandro Scarlatti's oratorio "Hagar and Ishmael". This latter work was recently recorded by JBO, and a CD is about to be released. The Orchestra regards the performance of these all-but-forgotten treasures as one of its most important goals; its audience may certainly look forward to numerous such wonderful surprises in the future.
The performance of Purcell semi-opera "King Arthur" in the framework of 2010 Israel Festival will hopefully become the beginning of a tradition of performance of many more Baroque operas, both in a concert version, and staged. Part of this tradition will be the performance at the end of 2011-12 season of the comedie-ballet by M.-A. Charpentier "Le Malade Imaginaire" (after Moliere), conducted by Andrew Parrott and with the participation of the renowned actor Sasson Gabai.
JBO puts special emphasis on the performance of music by Jewish composers of the baroque era. The orchestra has played a number of modern premiers of compositions that were written for the Jewish communities of the time. In the year 2000 JBO participated in the modern premiere of the greatest 18th-century composition of this kind, namely the oratorio "Esther" by Ch. G. Lidarti, which was performed at the Israel Festival under the baton of Avner Itai.
JBO has successfully toured Europe a number of times. Recently, it appeared together with the famous German boys choir "Windsbacher Knabenchor" in a concert tour to Germany and Poland that received enthusiastic critiques in the press of both countries.
Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra is proud to continue being the leading force on the flourishing Israeli early music scene.
JBO is supported by the Ministry of Culture and the Culture Department of Jerusalem Municipality.
