About Jerusalem Oratorio Choir
The Jerusalem Oratorio Choir is the largest choral enterprise in Israel and has about 140 amateur and professional singers. The choir was founded in 1987 by the Foundation for Jerusalem and the Culture and Arts Department of the Jerusalem Municipality on the initiative of Mr. Yehuda Pickler, with the aim of promoting the culture of artistic poetry in the city. During the 36 years since its establishment, the choir has been operating in the city of Jerusalem.
The oratorio includes five choirs that work under joint management. As part of their joint and separate activities, the oratorio choirs appear in a large number of concerts every year, in Israel and even abroad. The choirs join together every year for a project which culminates in an annual gala concert.
The repertoire of the Oratorio Choir includes masterpieces by the greatest composers from the Renaissance to the present day, as well as great works by Israeli composers. The Jerusalem Oratorio Choir performs with the leading orchestras in Israel, including: the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra-Rasht Hashidor, the Israeli Camerata Jerusalem, Simphont Ra’anana, the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, the Jerusalem Street Orchestra, the Ashdod Symphony Orchestra and more.
The choir appears in important festivals such as: Israel Festival, Liturgy Festival, Hallelujah Festival, Abu Ghosh Festival, Piano Festival, Jerusalem Arts Festival and more. Also, the choir collaborates with a variety of choirs in Israel and abroad, and participates in workshops and concerts of the “Hillel” choir organization.
In the social sphere, the choir operates the “Community Choir” project, in which the choirs appear in various ensembles in nursing homes, institutions for the elderly, special education schools, community centers and more, this is to bring the singing of the choir, and empower those who do not come to the halls in culture and music education.
Dr. Tanya Sermer, Artistic Producer
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Tanya Sermer has been living in Jerusalem since 2009 and has worked as the artistic producer of the Jerusalem Oratorio Choir since the fall of 2017. She received her Bachelor of Music from McGill University in piano performance and her Ph.D. in musicology and ethnomusicology at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, under the direction of Ellen Koskoff, Ralph Locke, and Edwin Seroussi. She was awarded a dissertation research fellowship from the Social Science Research Council and post-doctoral fellowships from the Israel Institute and the Lady Davis Fellowship Trust, all of which were carried out at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
In addition to her role in Oratorio, Tanya works as a lecturer at the Hebrew University and as researcher at the Jewish Music Research Center. She has also taught at the Tel Aviv University and Leyada—Hebrew University High School. Tanya’s academic work has been published in Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture, and in books published by Ashgate and the University of Haifa. She has given lectures in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, as well as throughout Israel and the United States, and was awarded for her work by the Israel Musicological Society
Tanya plays piano, guitar, and Middle Eastern percussion, and performs as an instrumentalist and cantor throughout Canada, the U.S., and Israel. Her research focuses on music of Israel and the Arab Middle East, as well as Jewish and Islamic music and chant. In particular, she investigates the politics of music and sound in the public sphere, including the role of music in nation-building, protest, conflict, gender politics, and the production of space
Marina Vengerov, Administrative Coordinator:
Marina Vengerov was born and raised in Russia, where she studied violin and piano. Marina graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public relations at a university in Moscow. Marina immigrated to Israel in 2007 and has been living in Jerusalem since then. Since 2016, Marina has been employed as an administrative coordinator in the Oratorio Choir.
Operational Team
- Artistic producer: Dr. Tanya Sermer
- Administrative coordinator: Marina Vengerov
- Accounting services CPA: Haim Warmbrand
Board of Directors
- Tamar Cohen -Oratorio Chamber Choir
- Noa Ofrath- Oratorio Singers Choir
- Edna Yogev – Cantabile Choir
- Eliot Sacks – Capellatte Choir
- Michal Ben Gal – Bel Canto Choir
Members of Audit Committee
- Gillah Tatar – Bel Canto Choir
- Dov Faust – Bel Canto Choir
- Miriam Rivlin – Oratorio Singers Choir
- Ayelet Kohn – Capellatte Choir
