The Choir – The Upper Galilee Choir

The Upper Galilee Choir was established in 1978 by Stanley Sperber and under his direction, a year later, performed Mendelssohn’s Oratorio  «Elijah» at the Musica Sacra Festival in Jerusalem.

Stanley Sperber served as the choir's musical director for two and a half years. During the following years the choir sang under the direction of Aaron Harlap, Veronica Bloomers-Bell and Amir Bernhardt.  Ron Zarchi has served as the choir's conductor since 1985.
The choir has performed with the Israeli Broadcasting Authority Symphony, the Haifa Symphony, The Carmel Baroque Orchestra, the Yad Harif Orchestra, the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra and various other instrumental ensembles from Israel and abroad.
The choir has gone on tour abroad several times and has participated in the Nancy Choral Festival, France (1991), The Liturgical Music Festival in Loretto, Italy (1995), and won the bronze medal in the Palestrina Choir Competition in 2000.

The choir often performs in the Church of the Loaves and Fishes in Tabgha and the Dormition Church in Jerusalem and regularly takes part in prominent liturgical music festivals in Nazareth, Abu-Gosh and the Yechiam Fortress, as well as the Chamber Music Festival in Kfar Blum.
The choir's program includes modern and classical works, music by Israeli composers and folk songs, but focuses on the performance of Baroque and Renaissance music, with a special emphasis on liturgical repertoire.

In addition to performing a cappella programs, the choir has staged independent productions including: 

• Prayers from the Vienna Synagogue by Zultser (performed in concerts of Jewish liturgical music in Jerusalem and Kfar Blum)
• Toda W’Simra by Louis Levandovsky, musical director of the Berlin Synagogue during the late 19th century, Jewish prayer for choir and cantor soloist.
• Vesperes by Monteverdi with the Messanza Ensemble from Germany
• Purcell’s Dido and Aneasand Gluck’s Orpheo and Euridice
• Handel’s Oratorio The Messiah (performed annually at Abu-Gosh) and
  Israel in Egypt (performed annually at the Church of the Loaves and the Fishes in Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee)    
• The Creation by Haydn

The members of the choir, numbering between 45 – 50, hail from all over the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights. Several of the members have taken part in music courses at the Levinsky Teachers College or similar educational institutions; many participate regularly in music enrichment seminars, and the majority study voice.

The Upper Galilee Choir performs under the auspices of the Cultural Committee of the Upper Galilee Regional Council.