The Edward Said Conservatory of Music Prepares for Launching Palestine National Competition of Music

The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music launches its national music competition from Jerusalem between 8-20th of April 2010 for the third year in a row. The competition will include all Palestinian areas; West Bank, Gaza, green line areas and occupied Golan Heights. Musicians from all over Palestine will compete in all categories of music including voice. Beside a special prize Named after Marcel khaliefeh for the young composer.

The competition will be judged by a jury of local and international musicians in the different categories of music. The contestants will be divided into three age groups: Group 1: below the age of 12, group II between ages 12and 16 and group III, between ages 16 and 22. Music categories will include arabic instruments, strings, brass and wind instruments, and guitar. Voice will be divided into two age groups: group I until 16 years of age, and group II until 30 years of age.

The conservatory will be also specify an award by Marcel Khaliefe to the young composer to encourage innovation and support young composers in Palestine, where the musician khaliefe will supervise the contest and be one of the rulers. It is important to note that khaliefe had been granted the physical part of the Palestine Prize for music which was provided by the Ministry of Culture in 1999 to the National conservatory of Music, and recognition of this wonderful initiative, the conservatory has the name of the music contest organized by Marcel Khaliefe every two years since 2001, but in 2006 the contest became a national competition for music, including all of Palestine.
Through this competition, the Conservatory aims at encouraging young musicians and music students to improve their musical performance and at enriching the musical culture in Palestine as a whole. The competition has been organized this year with the support of the European union and the Swiss agency for development.

Suhail Khoury states that the competition unites all Palestine and all young music lovers in competing under one united Palestine where for two weeks the different styles of young talented Palestinian musicians compose a melodic Palestinian spring.

Mohamad Maragha, the activity coordinator at the conservatory assures that the national competition is the only music competition in Palestine that includes the different musical instruments and categories. Maragha also states that the conservatory organizes this competition on a professional musical level from the heart of Jerusalem.

It is important to include that the competition was first organized on April 2001 and that the conservatory has managed to organize it internally for their students on a yearly basis until the year 2005. In 2006 it was organized nationally on a two year basis.
In the year 2008, the competition was based in Jerusalem and it included Arabic voice.