Etty BenZaken: 

Books, Theater works, Art works, Sound works, Articles

Theater (directing, design, texts)

Search Expedition 220

Chamber opera (50 min., 2019)

BenZaken's stage directing, stage design, fabric art-works and editing of the multi-lingual text. Music: Eitan Steinberg.

The full show on Youtube >>

The Merry Fishermen's Island

Children play (Hebrew and Arabic, 55 min., 2012)

BenZaken's stage directing, stage design and text. Created for BenZaken's Jewish & Arab students at the University of Haifa.

Excerpt on Youtube >>

Fabrics' Stories

Music-Theater (Hebrew and Arabic, 60 min., 2011)

BenZaken's stage directing, stage design, fabric art-work and text (based on folk tales). Created for BenZaken's Jewish & Arab students at the University of Haifa.

Excerpt on Youtube >>

Naturale

Visual theater scene for one actress (20 min., 2007)

BenZaken's stage directing, stage design and masks. 

Music: Luciano Berio.

The Fool

Music-Theater for a singer-actress, viola and percussion (English, 30 min., 2007)

BenZaken's stage directing,stage design and text. 

Music: Eitan Steinberg.

The Fool who Loved Singing

Music-Theater for a singer-actress, a dancer, narrator and 7 instruments (Hebrew & English, 30 min., 2006)

BenZaken's stage directing, stage design and text.

Music: Eitan Steinberg.

Excerpt on Youtube >>

Stabat Mater - a Human Prayer

Music-Theater for singer-actress, string quartet and a 2 percussion players (English, Arabic, Hebrew, Ladino, Latin, 30 min., 2004)

BenZaken's tage directing, stage design, stage directing, fabric art-work and text.

Music: Eitan Steinberg

Excerpt on Youtube >>

The Sultan is Pregnant

Music-Theater for a singer-actress and ensemble (English, Hebrew, Arabic, 30 min., 2002) 

BenZaken's stage directing, stagel design and text.

Music: Eitan Steinberg.

Excerpt on Youtube >>

Princess of Five Faces

Music-Theater for a singer-actress and ensemblr (Hebrew, English, 30 min., 1995)

BenZaken's stage directing, stage design, masks adesign, text (inspired by "Dictionary of the Khazars" by Milorad Pavic).

Music: Eitan Steinberg

Visual art works (selection)

Incantation

(2020)

BenZaken's video-art (script, directing, design, fabric art-work, performance).

Music: Eitan Steinberg.  

Search Expedition 220 

(2019)

Large-scale fabric art-work (6x4 meters, silk and cotton) for the chamber opera created by BenZaken with composer Eitan Steinberg.

Amulet for the Widening

of the Heart

(2015)

Large-scale fabric art works (3x1 meters each, double-sided, silk) for an installation collaboration with composer Eitan steinberg. 

Fabrics' Stories

(2011)

Fabric art-work (4x4 meters, silk and cotton) for BenZaken's Music-Theater show.

Tarot card no. 21

(2004)

Small-scale painting (17x17 cm., acrylic on paper) for the cover of BenZaken's second novel, "What's written above"

Stabat Mater – a Human Prayer

(2004)

Large-scale fabric art-work (6x3.5 meters, silk and cotton) for the Music-Theater collaboration with composer Eitan Steinberg.

Tarot card no. 17

(2001)

Small-scale painting(13x13 cm., acrylic on paper) for Eitan Steinberg's CD, "Eitan Steinberg – Chamber Works".

Tarot card no. 6

(1998)

Small-scale painting (13x13 cm., acrylic on paper) for the cover of BenZaken - Steinberg Ladino CD on New Albion Records.

Tarot card no. 3

(1998)

Small-scale painting (7.5x12.5 cm., acrylic on wood) for the cover of BenZaken's first novel, "The Empress Card".

Vocal works, Sound works (selection)

Mark After Mark

סימן אחר סימן

Sound installation (30 min., 2020)

Created to accompany Gary Goldstein's exhibution "Well Being" at Neve Schechter Art Gallery, Tel Aviv.

Excerpt on Youtube >>

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Interpreting text by John Cage

שומרת לילה בואי לגן תכלת

Sound installation (32 min., 2019)

Created to accompany Adva Drori's exhibition at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Kiryat-Tivon.

Excerpt on Youtube >>

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The Tub

הגיגית

for voice and soundtrack (4 min., 2016)

Text: Ronit Matalon.

The piece on Youtube >>

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A Tale Of A Man Who Is Searching For Place

מעשה באדם שמחפש לו מקום

For voice, soundtrack and audience (4 min., 2016)

Text: fragments by S.Y. Agnon, alongside "The traveler song" (lyrics: David Shimoni, folk melody).

Commissioned by "Israeli Spring" Festival, Hasimta Theater, Tel-Aviv

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Lovers' Talk

דברי אהבים

For voice and soundtrack (4 min., 2016)

Text: fragments from stories by S.Y. Agnon, alongside "A Love Song" (lyrics: I. Manger, folk melody).

Commissioned by "Israeli Spring" Festival, Hasimta Theater, Tel-Aviv

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From Apartment To Apartment

מדירה לדירה

For voice and soundtrack (20 min., 2016)

Text: a story by S.Y. Agnon.

Commissioned by "Israeli Spring" Festival, Hasimta Theater, Tel-Aviv

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The Queen Came to the King

באה המלכה למלך

Sound installation (2015)

Created to accompany Adva Drori's exhibition by artist Adva Drori at Zadik gallery, Jaffa.

Excerpt on Youtube >>

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Bettering a Dream

הטבת חלום

Vocal work for voice, tape, and audience (5 min., 2015) 

Text: Etty BenZaken, alongside text from the Talmud

Commissioned by The Israeli Women Composers Forum.

The piece on Youtube >>

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Working Wonders

עושה פלא

For voice and tape, with text from Exodus 15, Song of the Sea (4 min., 2014)

The piece on Youtube >>

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Name

שם 

Soundtrack for a video-art work by Inga Fonar Cocos (25 min., 2009)

Commissioned by the Poland-Israel exhibition, Artists House, Tel Aviv.

Excerpt on Youtube >>

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A Poem From an Unimagined Voyage

For voice and soundtrack (4 min., 2007)

Text: Riki Daskal, alongside Yiddish folksong.

The piece on Youtube >>

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Ester

אסתר

A series of short Text-Sound works for two vocalists. (2006-2015)

Co-created and co-performed by Etty BenZaken and Anat Pick,

Texts by John Cage, Vito Acconchi and others, and original texts by Anat Pick and Etty BenZaken.

"Ester 1" on Youtube >>

"Ester 2" on Youtube >>

Articles

2020

מסע אישי עם תיאטרון-מוסיקה

"A Personal Journey With Music-Theater"

In: Peimot - Israeli journal of Music, No. 4 (2020) pp 187-212.

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2020

הקול הנוכח בכל: עיון בשלושה טקסטים על פרפורמנס קולי נשי

"The Voice That is Ever Present - A Study of Three Texts about Women's Vocal Performance"

In: Masoret Haya - 33 Essays in Folklore in honor of Prof. Haya Bar-Yitzhak. Editors: Tsafi Sebba-Elran, Haya Milo, Idit Pintel-Ginsberg. Pardes Publishing and the University of Haifa.

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2017

בעלה של הדרבוקה נסע למכה

"The Drum's Husband Went to Mecca: Children's Folk Songs as Intercultural Bridges"

In: Dappim Research in Literature. Editor: Vered Lev Kenaan. Volume 20, 2017, Haifa: Department of Hebrew and comperative literature, University of Haifa, pp. 277-292. 

Online access (in Hebrew) via JSTORE >> 

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2014

עתיק ועכשווי, עממי ואישי -  סקירה כרונולוגית של הדיאלוג בין חומרים עממיים לבין יצירה עכשווית, ביצירה המשותפת של איתן שטיינברג ואתי בן-זקן

"Old and Contemporary, Folk and Personal - a Chronological Survey of the Dialogue between Folk Materials and Contemporary Works in Eitan Steinberg and Etty BenZaken's Collaborations." 

In: Music and Dance in Time, the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Israel, 2014, pp.41-50.

English version online, pp 41-50 >>

Published alongside Eitan Steinberg's article "Rustles And Whispers From The Past - A Reflection on Inspiration From Folk Materials in "Stabat Mater - A Human Prayer" and "Rava Deravin".

English version online, pp. 51-57 >>

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2012

יהודי תורכיה

"Turkey, Jews of"

In: Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions. Raphael Patai, founding editor, Haya Bar-Itzhak, editor (New York: M.E. Sharpe Inc.) 2012.

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2009

כוחו של סיפור 

"The Power of A Tale - A Survey on The Jubilee Book of Israel Folktales Achive"

In: Yeda Am - Journal of The Israel Folklore Society, volume XXXIV-XXXV 2009 no. 69-70, pp. 161-166

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