The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra

Having been established in 1938 in the most magical place on Earth, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (JSO) was destined to become one of the world’s most captivating ensembles. 

Founded initially as part of the Palestine Broadcasting Service, the JSO has played a crucial role in developing the cultural sphere of the State of Israel, launching careers of the world’s best musicians, and promoting Israeli composers. Outstanding conductors, composers, and soloists have considered it a great honor to come to the Holy Land to work with the JSO – among them were Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Rubinstein, Yehudi Menuhin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pablo Casals, Isaac Stern, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Yefim Bronfman. Millions of Israelis grew up listening to the orchestra’s weekly radio broadcasts, and its performances on the world’s most prestigious stages have been praised by critics and audiences alike.

The JSO often conducts tours in Europe and in the United States, and has played in some of the most prestigious venues, including the Musikvereine in Vienna, the Philharmonie in Cologne and Carnegie Hall in New-York. In February 2015 the JSO was invited by UNESCO to Paris to perform Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 13, Babi Yar in a special concert which commemorated the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Even more recently, in August 2015 the orchestra toured in Brazil with Maestro Chaslin and Israeli soloist Itamar Zorman and in 2016

toured the US and Japan, as well as in the US in 2017. In June 2009 the orchestra performed the oratorio Elijah (Mendelssohn) at the closing event of the annual Bachfest in Leipzig. In 2021 the JSO became the first Israeli orchestra to perform in Dubai, UAE.

Presently, in addition to traditional classical orchestral concerts, the JSO strives to become an all-embracing “Sound of Jerusalem”, as well as to serve as the city’s cultural ambassador to the world by presenting multi-faith musical festivals; launching educational projects in East and West Jerusalem; performing Jewish, Arabic and Christian music; building cultural bridges with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco; and growing a global youth network of the

Jerusalem Music Ambassadors.

Maestro Julian Rachlin is set to become the Music Director and Chief Conductor of the JSO, beginning September 2023.

The orchestra is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sport and the Jerusalem City municipality.

Julian Rachlin is Music Director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, and Principle Guest Conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra.With a career spanning more than thirty years, Rachlin has has taken his multifaceted interests across the globe as a conductor, soloist, chamber musician, teacher and artistic director. His critically acclaimed recordings have been released by Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical and Warner Classics. 

Rachlin is a much sought-after symphonic guest conductor worldwide. Highlights of recent seasons include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Israel Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Helsinki Philharmonic, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. 

As a violinist, he has shared the stage with the world's most prestigious orchestras and conductors. Recent highlights include appearances with the Oslo Philharmonic and Klaus Mäkelä, Philharmonia Orchestra with Santtu-Matias Rouvali, National Symphony Orchestra and Gianandrea Noseda, Munich Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta, St. Petersburg Philharmonic with Yuri Temirkanov, Boston Symphony, Filarmonica della Scala, RAI National Symphony with Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orcheste Symphonique de Montréal and the Pittsburgh Symphony with Manfred Honeck. 

Rachlin’s music festivals reflect his passion for bringing audiences together in a celebration of music and art. He frequently collaborates with longtime musical partners Martha Argerich, Evgeny Kissin, Janine Jansen and Mischa Maisky. His work and dedication to Julian Rachlin & Friends, a festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia, which ran for over a decade, received worldwide recognition. Rachlin has been artistic director of the Herbstgold Festival at the Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria, since 2021.

Rachlin plays a 1704 ex-Liebig Stradivarius and a 1785 Lorenzo Storioni viola, courtesy of Dkfm Angelika Prokopp Privatstiftung. His strings are sponsored by Thomastik-Infeld.

For more information please visit Rachlin's website : https://www.julianrachlin.com/