French and Israeli musicians to unite in new cultural exchange program
Eight young French artists are to travel to Israel this October as part of an initiative born from a Paris boycott controversy
A new cultural initiative bringing together young French and Israeli musicians is set to launch this October, growing out of a controversy last year when the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra faced a boycott attempt ahead of a performance in Paris. The project, called the First Franco-Israeli Musical Encounters, will run October 4-13.
As organizers recruited participants, not every invitation was accepted. Project Director Marc Maidenberg told i24NEWS that some young musicians declined to take part in the program out of security concerns as well as fears that visiting Israel could affect their careers.
The idea for the exchange took shape after Maidenberg witnessed the Paris boycott attempt firsthand. In November 2025, media outlet Mediapart and the CGT labor union pushed to block the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Lahav Shani from performing at the Philharmonie de Paris.
A petition opposing the boycott, co-written by Maidenberg and Daniel Verdier, drew more than 22,000 signatures within 48 hours, and the concert proceeded despite being disrupted three times by protesters using smoke bombs.
"For a few minutes I must say I was shocked, and I immediately thought I have to do something," Maidenberg told i24NEWS, describing the moment that led to the initiative.
Eight young French musicians, all in their early twenties, will train alongside Israeli counterparts at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music and the Tel Aviv Conservatory, under the guidance of artists including Régis Pasquier and Pierre Génisson, alongside Israeli mentors Michael Kormann; Yoni Gertner, chairman and principal violist of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Dr. Raz Binyamini, music director of the Chamber Music Center at the Lin and Ted Arison Israel Conservatory of Music; composer Gilad Hochman, artistic director of "Bikkurim Kamariyim" in Kfar Blum; and Uri Dror, director of programs at the Jerusalem Music Center.
The program will end with three concerts by mixed French-Israeli ensembles at the Tel Aviv Conservatory on October 8, the Jerusalem Music Center on October 9, and the Clore Center for the Performing Arts in Kfar Blum on October 12.
For most participants, the trip will mark their first visit to Israel. Their itinerary includes stops at the Golan Heights, the Lebanese border, and the Nova Festival memorial site, along with a meeting with Nir Oz October 7 survivors Shlomo and Hanna Margalit.
Maidenberg said the visits are meant to give the musicians firsthand understanding of the country beyond how it's typically portrayed in the news.
"Once you have been on the height of the Golan, you understand things that you couldn't imagine," he said, adding that the goal is for participants to see Israel "by their own eyes" rather than through the usual non-stop media coverage of the region.
Maidenberg expressed gratitude to the program's mentors and Israeli partners, saying the initiative would not have been possible without their support.
Asked why the project matters now, Maidenberg pointed to its underlying purpose: replacing prejudice with direct experience and encouraging the next generation of artists to choose dialogue over division.