The Israeli Andalusian Orchestra was founded in 1994 to advance the musical culture of Moroccan Jewry in the arena of Israeli mainstream culture. It was modeled after the standard Western European symphony orchestra, with the addition of Arab/North African instruments, such as the kamanja (Western viola played in upright position like the old Moroccan rebab), ʿūd (oud), qānūn, nāy, and daff, as well as popular instruments that have been fashionable in North Africa since the early twentieth century, such as the accordion, the piano, and the mandolin.

The orchestra was initiated by …