Tom Cohen

Conductor and Artistic Director Maestro Tom Cohen, founder of the Jerusalem Orchestra East & West, developed a groundbreaking musical language that seamlessly merges Western harmony and counterpoint with the maqams, microtones, and polyrhythms of Middle Eastern music. This method has created not only a uniquely rich sound, but also a powerful catalyst for social change. Maestro Cohen has established multi-cultural orchestras utilizing this approach worldwide: in Belgium, Canada, and Morocco, and has conducted international ensembles ranging from Algeria’s iconic “El Gusto” orchestra to Grammy winning Metropole Orkest.
Today, this visionary approach is being passed down to the next generation. Under the auspices of the Jerusalem Orchestra East & West, the “Galilee Youth Orchestra East & West” brings together young musicians from different municipalities across the Western Galilee. In this special 25-minute performance at the Concordia Annual Summit, a select ensemble of 8 outstanding young musicians – Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Druze, demonstrates how uniting distinct musical worlds fosters a shared language of collaboration, curiosity, mutual listening, and bridge-building.