Dr. Lea Mazor, The Hebrew University
Thursday, August 21, 2025, afternoon, on the Clal Building's 'balcony' in Jerusalem. In this unconventional public space, a string orchestra performed. Young male and female musicians in simple everyday clothes, conducted by Ido Shpitalnik (the orchestra's founder and artistic director), played soulful, moving, and inspiring arrangements of pieces by mostly contemporary Israeli composers. The conductor's musical leadership, the clean playing, and the superb performance of the principal violinist created a delightful experience. Every so often, the musicians paused to tune their string instruments; after all, it was hot and humid. Amidst the lush greenery, on cushioned benches, and on the floor, about forty listeners sat or lay down. Children and adults. Religious and secular. Two teenagers drew while listening to the music. Admission was free. There were no tickets and no 'supervision.' People simply came and listened. Sounds from the street penetrated the space, blurring the lines between art and everyday urban life.
I'll admit, I would have loved to listen to this music under optimal conditions so I could savor every nuance of the composition and performance, but the intention here was completely different: to create an informal encounter in a public space between a casual urban audience, in the middle of a workday, and thoughtful, artistic music. Just as visual art (sculptures, monuments, mosaics, etc.) is scattered throughout the urban environment, this street orchestra enriches it with music.
Playing artistic music on city streets is part of a general trend and is expressed in various forms in other places in Israel and around the world.
In the past, artistic music was the domain of royal and noble courts, and it was played in magnificent halls as a symbol of prestige, power, and education. Composers and performers served the upper class and were sometimes specially commissioned to write pieces for holidays, ceremonies, or official events. The music created a social-class distinction: artistic music for the upper classes and other music for the common people. The latter could enjoy 'folk music,' klezmer, and the like.
The Church 'exploited' the human desire for high art by creating impressive architectural places of worship, decorated from floor to ceiling with visual art, and enriching religious ceremonies with organ music and choir singing. I have no doubt, for example, that those who were lucky enough to hear Bach play his organ pieces in the Leipzig cathedral felt a spiritual, almost-religious experience (many would say the 'almost' can be omitted).
Today, although live artistic music is, in principle, open to the general public, a large portion of concerts take place in expensive, prestigious halls with impressive architecture and careful acoustics. This preserves an element of prestige and exclusivity, which continues the historical context of music as a 'high' cultural activity.
In the past, enjoying artistic music was the privilege of a select few, while today, at least in principle, anyone can buy a ticket and enter, even if the high price reduces accessibility. The comparison between the conventional concert hall and the Jerusalem street orchestra highlights two different cultural concepts. The concert hall represents a hierarchical model of art consumption: a formal, controlled experience with a limited target audience. In contrast, the street orchestra offers an open and democratic model, where music breaks the boundaries of the institution and reaches the public directly in the urban space. If the concert hall once symbolized prestige and social status, the street orchestra seeks to symbolize accessibility, community connection, and a shared artistic experience. In this sense, it is more than an orchestra. It is also a social project that challenges the way Israeli society perceives the place of artistic music in the public sphere.
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