The Israel Music Institute (IMI) is a non-profit organization supported by the Israel Ministry of Education and Culture. Theinstitute was established in 1961 by the Public Committee for Arts and Culture, with the aim ofpublishing and promoting Israeli art music at home and abroad. IMI also serves as the Israel MusicInformation Center- a member of the International Association of Music Information Centers (IAMIC),maintaining reciprocal ties with some 40 member countries.
Since its establishment, IMI has acquiredthe rights to more than 3800 compositions by some 250 Israeli composers. The IMI catalogue contains agreat variety of music: orchestral, choral, chamber and educational, as well as a plethora of articles anda number of musicological works. Both on its own label and in cooperation with several other non-profitmusical institutions in Israel, IMI is active in producing CDs of Israeli art music, which it sees as animportant tool for promoting Israeli composers’ works.
The IMI was established in 1961 by the Israel Council for Culture and Arts, an adjunct of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, with the aim of publishing and promoting Israeli concert music by all means available. The first chairman of the board of trustees was the late Eliezer Peri, and the first Director and editor in chief was William (Willy) Elias, who served in this role from 1961 to 1989. Despite having no prior experience in music publishing (Elias had been a banker and a singer in Rinat choir) he was able to build sound foundations for the prominent publishing house in Israel. He made a point of producing highly professional scores, thus raising significantly local music publishing standards common at that time. He also initiated an IMI bulletin, concerts, listening events and composers' forums as part of IMI activities.
Since 2006, production of the Israel music festival became the IMI's main focus, as the flagship event in the Israeli concert music scene. IMI's goal was to achieve synergy between the institute's activities, in publishing as well as recording, and the festival's production.
In 2019, Ohad Gabay was appointed director, with Evgeny Oslon as editor in chief. Gabay and Olson expanded the institute's collaborations with various festivals and competitions (such as TARF- the Tel Aviv recorder festival, The Israeli Conservatory's composition competition, the Ben-Haim competition and others). They also emphasized digitation of archival materials, signing of young composers and expansion of the IMI's catalogue, as well as optimizing publishing processes. In 2022, attorney Oron Schwartz was appointed chair of the board.
As the major publishing house for Israeli music, IMI has held a significant role in the development of the contemporary music scene. The international availability of some 3800 Israeli scores, the growing collection of Israeli CDs, and the existence, in the past, of IMI News, and today- the IMI website, have created the scene of local contemporary music no less than they reflect it.
The Israel Music Institute is the first publicly owned music publishing house in Israel and the most influential one on the local scene. It is devoted primarily to the publication of Israeli art music, but also publishes books and booklets on Israeli music and composers, and formerly, a periodical- IMI News. It is the only local publishing house represented internationally by some ten leading European and US publishers, among them: Theodore Presser Co. (USA, Canada & Mexico), Albersen & Co B.V. (The Netherlands), Peermusic classical (Germany, Austria & Switzerland), EME (France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain & Portugal), Engström & Södring Musikverlag AS (Denmark), and Český hudební fond, o. p. s. (Czechia, Slovakia & Hungary).
Since its establishment, IMI has acquired the rights to more than 3800 compositions by some 250 Israeli composers. IMI publishes compositions by virtually all important contemporary classical Israeli composers working in Israel since 1920. The Institute's catalogue encompasses orchestral music, chamber music, solo instrumental music and vocal music (ranging from solo song to choral and choral-orchestral music), electronic music, several operas and ballet scores, and music for educational purposes.
The IMI produces CDs both on its own label and in cooperation with several other non-profit musical institutions in Israel, as well as markets CDs of Israeli art music produced by other labels.
The institute made its first steps in the field of music production during the 70s, with the production of several records (LPs) and even a first tape cassette. In 1990, the institute was invited to join and run an existing project- music in Israel (MII). The collaborating organizations were The Jerusalem Music Center, Kol Israel (The Voice of Israel radio station), Acum (Association for composers, writers and publishers), and the Ministry of Education and Culture. The MII produced 26 CDs. It was active for 7 years, after which the institute continued to issue CDs independently. It has produced 61 CDs so far.
IMI collaborates with major orchestras, choirs, chamber ensembles and musical education institutions inIsrael, as well as with numerous musical bodies around the world. As Israel's leading music publishinghouse, it is involved with virtually all musical events which include commissions from Israeli composers,performances of Israeli music and premieres, including major events such as the Paul Ben-HaimCompetition- Young Artists Play Israeli Music (organized by Jeunesses Musicales Israel); the ArthurRubinstein International Piano Master Competition; The International Harp Contest in Israel; and theZimriya- the World Assembly of Choirs in Israel. It also collaborates with TARF festival for recordermusic, the Israeli conservatory's composition competition, and the Israel Contemporary Players’ concertseries (in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem), among others. The institute supplies scores for concerts held at theJerusalem Music Centre which include Israeli premieres and supports Meitar contemporary musicensemble. Between 2006 and 2018, IMI produced the Israel Music Festival, an annual festival of Israelimusic held in Jerusalem and other cities in Israel. The Institute also exhibits its various publications atdifferent musical events in Israel and abroad.
Past events which IMI has been involved with (during the late 90s and early 2000s) are the Biennialevents for Contemporary Music at Tel-Aviv Museum of Art, the contemporary music concert series bythe Musica Nova Consort (at the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art), and the yearly Classical Music Festival in theUpper Galilee. During the 90s, the institute, in collaboration with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra,produced two composition competitions for orchestral works. The project had two main goals: to encourage composition of quality symphonic works, and to increase public awareness of the instituteand its activities. The jury was international, and during the finals, three works were played by theorchestra in front of a live audience and broadcast live.
Not long after the IMI was established, the Israel Council for Culture and Arts, an adjunct of the Ministryof Education, Culture and Sports, decided it should also function as an information center, IMIC- theIsrael Music Information Center. As such, it is a member of IAMIC, the International Association of MusicInformation Centers. In the beginning, it provided information on all things musical happening in Israel(not just Israeli music), but once the composers’ association founded the Israel Music Center (IMC) and abattle over funds began, the IMIC’s functions were expanded to encompass those of worldwide MICs,and it also became a publisher. Thus, the institute actually comprises two different publishingcompanies: IMI and IMIC, although today, IMIC is no longer active, and most of its publications areincluded in the general IMI catalogue.
Between 1990 and 2009, IMI published a comprehensive bulletin, IMI News. In addition to documentingthe Institute’s own activities, the journal encompassed the entire concert music scene in Israel, as wellas performances of Israeli music across the globe. Today, IMI’s website provides access to the Institute’scatalogues (including the possibility of ordering scores, books and recordings) and is currently beingupdated to also provide information regarding all Israeli music performances and composers. At IMI’sListening Center, a collection of some 2700 scores by over 250 composers is available for perusal andthe archive of recorded music holds some 1600 items. The institute is currently in the process ofcreating a central library for Israeli music, which aims to make music by all Israeli composers available tomusicians for perusal and consultation, both in scores and (where possible) in recordings.