The Mishkan for the Performing Arts, the home of the Opera House, was designed by the late architect Yaakov Rechter, and opened to the public in October 1994. The Mishkan quickly became a central focus for cultural and artistic events in Tel Aviv. With its spacious space and sophisticated facilities, the latest sound and lighting systems, and the acoustic qualities of the hall, it was possible for the first time in Israel to hold opera, dance, and music performances on a suitable stage.
The Performing Arts Center forms the central part of the Golda Center, located between Weizmann Street, King Saul Boulevard, and Leonardo da Vinci Boulevard. This area has been designated for public buildings since the late 1950s, when it was decided to build the courts in its eastern part. Over time, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Ariela House with the “Shaar Zion” library, and the square between them were built on the site. In the early 1980s, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality decided to establish the Performing Arts Center, one of Tel Aviv’s main cultural complexes, in the western part of the area. Since its opening, the Performing Arts Center has served as a permanent home for the Israeli Opera, and later the construction of its additional part, which houses the Cameri Theater, was completed.
The late architect Yaakov Rechter referred in his notes to the conceptual aspects behind his architectural concept that was the basis for the design of the Mishkan for the Performing Arts:
“…The Mishkan attempts to give architectural expression to the combination of the desire to place a building with an impressive public presence in the city, and the informal and non-monumental nature of Tel Aviv. In principle, the building fits into the scale of the existing buildings in the area, whether they are the residential buildings on Leonardo da Vinci Street, or the library and museum buildings. The entrance gates on the one hand and the stage tower on the other, are the only elements that exceed the scale of the environment and give the building a considerable degree of public presence, befitting its role as an important center in the urban fabric.
The opera hall in the House of Arts does not try to be like any other hall. It is completely devoid of quotations from the past and tries to be a festive and moving place, yet quiet and restrained, which does not dominate the artistic activity taking place on stage but rather supports it… The design of the various elements of defining the hall’s space is strongly linked to the needs of the stage and the acoustics.”
The Opera House’s vestibule, the gathering space between the main entrance and the hall doors, extends over three levels that are visually open to each other and create the feeling of one complete and harmonious space, which has a glass facade overlooking the Opera House plaza.
The interior design of the lobby was entrusted to architect-designer Ron Arad, who designed various elements such as the “island” whose spaces are wrapped by a spiral strip of steel and concrete, the bronze wall, the bars, and the cafe’s furniture, the design of which corresponds with the architectural character of the space.
Audiences in the portico can enjoy changing exhibitions, various performances held in the small amphitheater, a café and a music store called “Music in the Tabernacle.” The Opera House box office can also be found on the entrance floor of the portico.
The portico is open Sunday-Thursday from 8:30 PM to 9:30 AM and Fridays and holiday eves from 1:00 PM to 9:30 PM. The entrance floor is also open during performances. The upper gallery is open on days when performances are held in the hall about half an hour before the start of the performance.
Art in the foyer In the Opera House’s foyer, on all its floors, exhibitions of sculpture, photography, and painting are displayed, changing every month.
For more information about the exhibitions←
Shows
Various performances are held in the lobby, including children’s shows , open days of the opera, performances and other events.
The cafe
The cafe in the entrance lobby is open from one hour before the shows begin until they end.
The buffet is dairy and kosher.
The story of opera in Israel and its history could have become the plot of one of the most fascinating operas of all time. It is the story of pioneers who fought tirelessly to realize their artistic vision in a country that had not yet been founded. It is a story of struggle and love, of faith and despair, a story that ultimately, 93 years later, places Israel proudly on the international opera map.
This is a story that began in 1917 in Moscow, where Mordechai Golinkin wrote down his plan to establish a Hebrew opera theater in Israel. Six years later, Golinkin arrived in Palestine to fulfill his dream. Opera in Israel before the establishment of the state was born on July 28, 1923, with the performance of Verdi’s La Traviata in Tel Aviv. At that time, there was no opera house in the city, which was completely covered in sand, and the opera that Golinkin founded in Palestine was forced to perform in movie theaters that were not intended for this purpose. But the opera took its first steps towards establishing itself. Golinkin directed the Palestine Opera for four years.
After him, composer Marc Lavrie and conductor Georg Singer founded the opera
The popular Eretz Yisrael opera, which operated between 1940 and 1946, staged 16 productions, including the first Hebrew opera, Dan Hashomer, by Marc Lavry, the poet S. Shalom, and the writer Max Brod. 
A fundamental turning point occurred on November 13, 1945, when the American soprano Addis DePhilip landed in Israel and soon established the Israeli National Opera. Thus, with its establishment, the new country had its own opera house. DePhilip’s opera house continued to perform operas every evening throughout the country. DePhilip even managed to attract young opera stars in their early years to spend some time in Israel and hone their skills in Tel Aviv. A young Spanish tenor spent three years in Israel in the early 1960s. Here in Tel Aviv he learned the best tenor roles before his name became known to the whole world. His name is Plácido Domingo.
In 1982, the Israeli National Opera was closed by decision of the Ministry of Education and Culture. But artistic life in Israel could not be complete without an opera. The Council for Culture and the Arts under the Ministry of Education undertook to create a new framework for operatic activity in Israel. In 1985, with the signing of the agreement that the Israeli Chamber Orchestra would be the opera’s permanent orchestra, Uri Ofer was appointed as the opera’s general director and Yoav Talmi was appointed as its musical director. At that time, the opera became an independent entity, with the main source of funding being the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality.
The first production of the New Israeli Opera was Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, which was staged at the Cameri Theater in Tel Aviv as a collaboration between the New Israeli Opera, the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, and the Cameri Theater. The organizational framework established for this production (and which continued to function thereafter) was headed by Uri Ofer, the then general director of the Cameri Theater and later the general director of the opera for the first decade of its existence, and Yoav Talmi, who was the musical director of the Israeli Chamber Orchestra and the New Israeli Opera. This new framework was encouraged by the mayor and the living spirit behind the enterprise, Shlomo Lahat, and the chairman of the Council for Culture and the Arts, Avner Shalev. In 1986, Gary Bertini was appointed artistic advisor to the opera, and upon the end of Yoav Talmi’s tenure as the opera’s musical director (in 1988), Bertini was appointed musical director of the new Israeli Opera. After that, Asher Fish and David Stern, Daniel Oren, and today the musical director of the Israeli Opera is Dan Ettinger.
The Israeli Opera, founded in 1985, is today one of the pillars of Israeli culture – a vibrant international opera house that emphasizes the dramatic and theatrical aspects of opera art and presents the world’s leading opera artists alongside many Israeli opera artists to its subscriber audience.
The Israeli Opera currently has an audience of approximately 18,000 subscribers and is growing steadily, putting on an average of eight productions each season. Today, there is regular collaboration between the Israeli Opera and leading opera houses around the world, and the Israeli Opera enjoys enthusiastic reviews in the world opera press for its performances in Israel and abroad. All Israeli opera productions are sung in the original language, accompanied by Hebrew and English subtitles, and are presented at the Opera House in the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, which opened in 1994. Since 2001, the Israeli Opera has also presented dance performances, classical music, jazz, and children’s music series at the Opera House.
In October 2005, the Israeli Opera unveiled the “Founders’ Corner”, a special wall in the opera house’s foyer dedicated to commemorating the pioneers of opera in Israel.
The Israeli Opera is supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality, as well as private individuals and commercial entities that donate to the opera.
Since 2010, the Israeli Opera has been hosting the Masada Summer Festival, where huge productions of the best operas are performed by hundreds of soloists from all over the world. In 2010, the opera Nabucco was performed, in 2011 Aida, in 2012 the opera Carmen was performed, in 2014 La Traviata, and in 2015, two huge productions of Puccini’s Tosca and Orff’s Carmina Burana were performed. With this, the Israeli Opera is proud to join the ranks of international opera festivals around the world that take place in the summer.
