Despite the times, Ashdod orchestra goes ahead with concerts to mark 30 years

It was only in the last few weeks that Ashdod’s Andalusian Orchestra decided to go ahead with its planned series of concerts to mark its 30th year.

“It wasn’t clear if we would do it or not,” said director and violinist Elad Levi. “Everything’s changing from moment to moment these days.”

The orchestra’s musicians — a mostly younger group, said Levi — wanted to return to their audiences, despite what befell Israel on October 7, when Hamas attacked the Gaza border communities, killing some 1,200 people and abducting 253, and with their own friends serving on the frontlines.

The two soloists, Benjamin Bouzaglo and Valerie Hamaty, were both game as well.

“So we said we’ll go for it,” said Levi. “Whatever happens, at least we’ll try.”

The orchestra’s seven concerts are all over the country, from north to south and in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, focusing on traditional Arabic music known as maqam, the system of melodic modes, as well as liturgical prayers.

Bouzaglo is a French-Israeli bard who performs Arabic, Andalusian and North African music, and serves as the lead vocalist of the orchestra. Hamaty is an Arab-Israeli singer who performs in Hebrew, Arabic and English, for a mix of audiences and venues.

The orchestra’s repertoire was also open to changes since October 7.

“None of us are the same since then,” said Levi. “There are songs that Benjamin was used to singing but can’t bear them now. We’re not in any kind of normal situation and we all feel it.”

Music, however, is the therapy they all seek, and Levi and many of the other orchestra’s musicians have been performing regularly over the last three months, volunteering at hospitals, for soldiers and evacuees.

“Every place we’ve performed at, the audience wanted us there,” he said.

Still, the time had come to return to the stage, to give audiences a real event.

“As musicians, we miss playing for people who come to hear you,” said Levi, who recently returned to performing with musician Amir Benayoun, and said it felt great to see an audience dressed up to go out and listen to music.

“It’s something you feel in an audience,” he said. “When we play for soldiers, they’re ready, they want you to raise their spirits. That’s what it’s like with regular audiences as well right now.”

Hamaty, who is 24 and an Arab Israeli, has also been performing at hospitals and for evacuees, and at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv during the last months. She’s known among younger audiences as the second-place winner of music reality show “Rising Star” in June 2021, when she lost to winner Tamir Grinberg.

“It’s complicated and I’m somewhere on the seam because of my identity, but I’m in the same situation as everyone else,” said Hamaty.

In the past months, Hamaty has sung for survivors of October 7 and in the process, discovered that her music has often helped people let go of their traumas, even a little.

“I’ve been with people who went through terrible things and hadn’t let it go, hadn’t cried yet,” she said. “Something in the music was therapeutic for them.”

She’s looking forward to performing with the Andalusian orchestra, even during the war.

“It’s an opportunity to connect to something more normal during these times, to something that people are missing,” she said. “Music really soothes the soul right now.”

Hamaty will perform half a dozen songs for the concert series, of which two are her own original songs, two are covers of the music of Fairuz, an iconic singer of the Arab world, and two are duets with Bouzaglo, including the classic “Hallelujah.”

“It’s all really complicated but it’s important to go with your heart right now,” said Hamaty. “It’s what helps heal us.”

For concert dates and tickets, go to the Andalusian Orchestra website.