Confederation House is a cultural institution that promotes productions and enrichment programs involving ethnic music, world music, literature, poetry and Jewish thought. On its stage are presented unique musical performances, meetings with writers and intellectuals, as well as concert series for primary and secondary school students. Since 2000, Confederation House has directed and produced two national festivals annually: the Oud Festival in Jerusalem and the Israeli Poetry Festival in Metulla.
The House is located at the heart of Jerusalem, a city whose population composition embodies the essence of social pluralism in Israel. Over 100 distinct communities of all religions and sects, hailing from all continents, live together in the city. Confederation House undertakes to function as a forum for the cultural wealth surrounding it and offers a stage for all ethnic groups. The House produces quality cultural programs reflecting their creators' unique searches for cultural roots and their authentic voices.
Confederation House has built a reputation as a leader in the field of ethnic music in Israel. It hosts first-rank artists and ensembles from abroad alongside local traditional-authentic groups in need of institutional nurturing and support. The diverse performances have included music from India, Azerbaijan, the Balkans, Sweden, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Ethiopia, and of course, the Middle East. The House emphasizes the quality of its performances as well as variety and innovation. It aims at preserving forgotten cultures and traditions on the one hand, and fostering interest in creative and fresh musical fusions on the other. The Oud Days Festival, initiated and produced by Confederation House, returned this unique stringed instrument and the cultures in which it features to center stage. Over a period of just a few years this has become one of the major world music events in Israel.
Over the years, Confederation House has sponsored various ensembles and provided an established framework for their activities, a source of income and a nurturing environment essential for creative activity and artistic development. The House continues to search for artists and musicians among new immigrants and veteran Israelis and enables them to contribute the sounds of their cultures to the Israeli mosaic taking shape on the House stage.
Two other focal points of Confederation House activity are literature and poetry. The House serves as a meeting place for local writers and poets and guests from abroad, who conduct a unique and intimate dialogue with the audience concerning their works. In cooperation with foreign cultural institutes and various Israeli publishers, the House takes part in producing new translations by the finest translators and in publishing books and journals dealing with original and translated works of prose and poetry. The crowing achievement in the realm of poetry is the annual Israeli Poetry Festival held in Metulla during Shavuot.
Confederation House continues to foster original productions and seek ways to present Israeli cultural pluralism to new audiences, both in musical works and in poetry and prose. We believe that these activities open a fascinating window to other cultures, near and far, that enrich us and widen our horizons.
