The Jazz Performance Department is the home for jazz performance, creation, and education at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.
We believe in the power of jazz: a music style that is simultaneously folk-rooted and sophisticated, thriving in the moment of improvisation while carrying the harmonic traditions of classical music alongside the rhythmic feel and time of African music. In our experience, deep study and dedication to jazz are the best pathways to instrumental mastery and advanced musicianship. In this environment, emerging artists can find their unique voice and achieve fluent, authentic self-expression naturally and swiftly.
Department Head Hagai Bilitzky served as the house bassist at the workshops of renowned pianist and educator Barry Harris in New York, and led the Friday night jam sessions at the legendary Smalls Jazz Club in the early 2000s for two consecutive years. Today, he leads a faculty comprising top-tier teachers and world-renowned artists who collaboratively crack the code to excellence in music education.
In addition to its ongoing academic curriculum, the department hosts masterclasses in the Academy’s Jazz Hall and holds jam sessions both on campus and in clubs nationwide. Its Big Band orchestra and numerous ensembles perform at major festivals (such as the Red Sea Jazz Festival, the Jerusalem Jazz Festival, the Pardes Hanna Jazz Festival, among others) and on prominent stages across Jerusalem and beyond.
Our graduates embark on diverse musical paths—some thrive in the local and international jazz scene, from Jerusalem to New York, while others flourish across various genres and styles. The foundation and tools acquired here accompany every musician on whichever path they choose to pursue.
