Matanel Internal Compass Music Scholarship Program

Vision

To develop the Mitzpe Ramon Music School into a national center for musical excellence and social impact in the Negev. By supporting young musicians and establishing local orchestras and cultural infrastructure, the project uses music as a tool for community building, demographic renewal, and regional transformation—turning artistic education into a long-term engine for social change in Israel’s geographic periphery.

Activity

Meev’er Arts & Creativity Center operates the Mitzpe Ramon Music School, an accredited academic program for jazz and creative music. The Scholarship Program provides financial support to students and alumni, enabling them to study, perform, and contribute to the region’s cultural life. Fellows lead ensembles, teach in local schools, and form the artistic core of two professional orchestras based in Mitzpe Ramon: a symphonic orchestra and a jazz big band. These ensembles offer a natural progression from academic study into professional artistic work—anchored in the same community.

Through concerts, festivals, and education, the project strengthens community ties and fosters long-term cultural renewal in Israel’s Negev region. By supporting young musicians who choose to stay and create in the country’s most remote town, the program helps build a groundbreaking cultural scene—rooted in education, creativity, and local initiative—with lasting social and demographic impact.

internalcompassmusic.com

I consider music like a mirage in the desert. You're obsessed with the ideal piece of music, and the more you think you're getting closer, it's not there.

- Jean Michel Jarre

Jackie Fay

Jacqueline Fay is a cross-genre cellist, composer, and educator with extensive professional experience across classical, jazz, and contemporary music. She studied at the University of Victoria and at McGill University, and has performed with many of Israel’s leading orchestras and artists. Since 2016, Jackie has served as the Academic Director and now CEO of the Mitzpe Ramon Music School, where she co-founded the Matanel Creative Music Program alongside bassist Ehud Ettun. Her leadership has been central to the school’s development—shaping its curriculum, building academic and community partnerships, and mentoring a new generation of musicians in Israel’s Negev. Known for her deep musicality, pedagogical clarity, and personal integrity, Jackie is a driving force behind efforts to establish a thriving cultural ecosystem in the region. She continues to perform, arrange, and teach while advancing the vision of music as a catalyst for social and artistic renewal.