General Information
Since its humble beginnings in 1993, the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music has provided music education in the form of regular instrumental and theoretical lessons to thousands of young Palestinians around Palestine; in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus, Hebron and the Gaza Strip, and it is still nurturing generations on their musical journeys in Palestine. Many of its graduates are rising stars both in Arabic and Western classical music on the international stage. Its publications - which include books of Arabic songs for schools, leveled volumes of Arabic instrumental pieces, and music theory books in Arabic especially written with the local culture in mind - have left an indelible imprint on music education around the Arab world. The ESNCM-run Palestine National Music Competition motivates and rewards young Palestinian talent, inside Palestine and in the diaspora.
The Conservatory has an amazing network of ensembles and choirs, which was built from the very beginning to give all young musicians the experience of shared performance, as well as providing varied and exciting concerts to audiences in Palestine, throughout the Arab region and worldwide. These include Arabic Music “takht” groups, classical chamber groups, beginners’ orchestras, choirs and bands, as well as flagship orchestras like the Arabic Palestinian Orchestra, and two orchestras whose members come from the Palestinian community worldwide, the Palestine Youth Orchestra and the Palestine National Orchestra. These orchestras are standard-bearers for quality in the Arab world, and have wowed audiences in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Oman, the UAE, and Indonesia, in addition to several successful European concerts and tours in Italy, Greece, France, the UK, and other Northern European Countries. These top-level groups, along with a long list of audio and audiovisual productions, promote the work of the conservatory and the incredible Palestinian musical renaissance of the last 30 years around the world.
