The leading chamber orchestra in Israel today, Israel Camerata Jerusalem was founded in 1983 by Avner Biron, who has been its Music Director and permanent conductor since then.
The Camerata's repertoire ranges from the Baroque to contemporary music. In addition to the traditional repertoire the Camerata is involved in performances of unknown and newly discovered music of different periods as well as performing premieres of contemporary works, Israeli music and works written especially for Avner Biron and the Camerata.
The orchestra performs more than 100 concerts a year in Israel and abroad. Its activities include subscribers' series, festivals, special concerts and unique educational projects all over the country. Examples of its individual and collaborative work include ‘InstrVocal’, the Camerata’s flagship series, which presents the best of vocal and instrumental repertoire alongside rare musical gems performed by international soloists and conductors, and ‘La Tempesta dei Solisti’, a series in which the Camerata collaborates with the Tel Aviv Museum of Arts to present concerts featuring guest soloists in a variety of instruments performing favourite solo works from the best of the repertoire.
The Camerata has been invited for many concert tours around the world. The orchestra has successfully performed in Europe, the USA and the Far East at the most important venues in Amsterdam, Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Bonn, Paris, New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, Alaska, Beijing and Shanghai among others. The performances and recordings of the Camerata conducted by Avner Biron have been highly praised by both music critics and audiences alike.
The Camerata has worked with many of the world's leading conductors and instrumentalists, among them Daniil Trifonov, Igor Levit, Paul Lewis, Mischa Maisky, Tabea Zimmermann, James Galway, Avi Avital, Paul McCreesh and Paul Goodwin. Among the many composers whose works have been premiered by the Camerata are Krzysztof Penderecki, Josef Bardanashvili, Avner Dorman and Noam Sheriff.