The Music of the Jerusalem Youth Chorus
Musically, the Jerusalem Youth Chorus seeks to reflect the values of equality and inclusiveness upon which we are based, truly making manifest the concept of beauty in diversity. As our members come often from vastly different musical traditions, we draw heavy influences from both East and West in our repertoire and musical style, blending Arabic mawwal (vocal improvisation) with classical harmonies, drawing out the Arabic rhythms in everything from pop songs to traditional carols, and blending lyrics in Hebrew, Arabic, English, and beyond in songs that come from all over the world. As such, we seek to innovate and challenge boundaries musically as we do in the non-musical elements of our program.
To experience our absolutely unique sound, check out the links below!
Written by our singers after October 7th, this powerful song has resounded widely, reaching hundreds of thousands: at the Israeli-Palestinian Joint Memorial Day Ceremony, on the TED stage, and in the ears of powerful policymakers in Washington, DC.
At the beginning of the pandemic, we wanted to bring our global family together in one incredible video to hold each other up in these trying times. Here is HOME - from home.
We had the extraordinary honor to collaborate with the legendary Ziggy Marley around our 2021 Global Gala Concert. Here is our arrangement of Ziggy’s song, "Shalom Salaam."
Check out our latest music video collaboration, with pop star Andy Grammer! Our Middle Eastern spin on his hit, Don't Give Up On Me, is a song of resilience and determination to build bridges between us all - no matter what.
Our chorus alumni wrote this original song with singer-songwriter and YouTuber MALINDA, inspired by their own experiences of struggle and hope.
Home, our viral music video with YouTube superstar Sam Tsui, has over 400,000 views on YouTube! If you haven't seen it yet, let us welcome you to our home in Jerusalem.
Experience a full JYC concert in HD. This performance from our Spring 2024 Tour, “A Different Song,” includes powerful collaborations with legendary a cappella group the Nor’easters.
It's time to wake up - and rise up. See how our singers are doing just that in our newest music video - a mashup of "Zman Lehitorer" by Hadag Nahash and "My Shot" from Hamilton - featuring pioneer of Israeli protest hip-hop Shaanan Streett!
Our absolutely unique performance of Joy to the World on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been enjoyed by millions.
See the highlights of our 10th Anniversary Concert, featuring collaborations with David Broza, Mira Awad, Saz Zakout, and Guy Mintus!
Our Israeli and Palestinian singers believe that music with a message can cross borders and highlight our shared humanity. In difficult times, each of us can make a difference by standing up for someone who is different from us. What do you stand for?
Our chorus alumni, now in different places in their lives, continue to meet and explore their roles in changing their realities. They present this re-imagination of a popular song and the video to tell the stories within it.
We had the great pleasure and privilege to perform with the Al Bustan Takht Ensemble at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, PA during our 2015 US Tour. This traditional Arabic song, Nassam Aleina el Hawa, expresses a longing for home that we felt all the more keenly accompanied by their brilliant classical Arabic musicianship.
In this beautiful collaboration between the Jerusalem Youth Chorus and the Yale Glee Club on the Sufi chant Adinu, hear what it might sound like to believe in the religion of love.
On our 2014 tour to Japan, we learned “Hana Wa Saku,” a beautiful song meaning “flowers will bloom” written after the 2011 Tsunami about overcoming loss and moving forward together with love. We had the opportunity to perform Hana Wa Saku in the Kyoto Concert Hall with a Japanese youth symphony orchestra and Japanese choirs of many ages. Enjoy!
Our January 2013 collaboration with multi-platinum Israeli artist-activist David Broza has now been featured on the album and documentary film East Jerusalem / West Jerusalem, and even made it onto the Israeli radio charts! Listen to the sound of the chorus in its first studio session, three months after its founding!