The Magnificat Institute Jerusalem – the music school of the Custody of The Holy Land
was established in 1995 by the Franciscan Fr. Armando Pierucci.
Originally from the Marches in Italy, Fr. Armando arrived in the Holy Land to serve as principal organist of the Church of The Holy Sepulchre. A former professor at the “Gioacchino Rossini” Conservatory of Pesaro, he decided to continue teaching music also in Jerusalem, his new home. Music, in the eyes of Fr. Armando, plays a fundamental role in the process of making our societies a better place, a space that people can share in “harmony.” And this is particularly true when talking about the Middle East and the Holy Land where the peaceful coexistence of ethnic and religious groups is still a dream.
It was created to realize this dream: here Christians, Muslims and Jews study and work together united by the passion for music and the arts. The Magnificat, in other words, is an example of what this region can be, once all communities start working and collaborating – a laboratory of coexistence where each one brings its own culture and experience in order to enrich the other. With the precious assistance of Hania Soudah-Sabbara, Fr. Armando set up the first courses of the Magnificat in a room located inside the Monastery of Saint Saviour: an old piano stood there, brought back to life by the delicate fingers of the young students. With time, the courses multiplied, more people joined the faculty and a choir was established.
Created to serve the liturgy of the Latin Church in the Holy Land, the Magnificat Choir performs during the major festivities of the Christian calendar (the Midnight Mass in Bethlehem, the Easter celebrations in the Holy Sepulchre) and extraordinary events like the visit of Pope Francis to the Holy Land in 2014. Professional musicians trained in the best music school of the world (like the Juliard School of New York or the Moscow Conservatory), teach a wide variety of courses: violin, viola, cello, piano, guitar, voice, flute, trumpet, French horn, tuba, bassoon, music theory and history of music.
Fr. Armando Pierucci
The introduction to music course is open to pupils aged 5 +.
The high teaching standards of the school have been strengthen by a convention signed with the “Arrigo Pedrollo” Conservatory of Music in Vicenza; under the supervision of this prestigious Italian learning centre, the Magnificat Institute grants academic diplomas valid throughout the European Union, right here in Jerusalem, giving music students of the Holy Land life changing possibilities. The Magnificat Institute is the only music school located in the Old City of Jerusalem. And from here, from this disputed piece of land, the harmony of music radiates to the entire region.