Yom Ha’atzmaut Song Festival
Since 1974, our annual Song Festival has been a highlight of the school year and a hallmark of our Yom Ha’atzmaut festivities. When the pandemic kept us from putting on a live show, we created an incredible musical journey through the decades, courtesy of generous alumni and students who gifted us with their songs.
Please enjoy… Song Festival Greatest Hits!
A heartfelt thank you to HaMoreh Noah Chochinov for his hard work putting this amazing video together.
Are you a past Song Festival participant?
Share a recording of your song for Greatest Hits, Volume II: songfestival@grayacademy.ca.
A History of Celebration through Song
In 1974, Mr. Itzhak Zohar, an Israeli teacher at our founding high school, Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate, brought an inspired idea to our community. A student Song Festival, built on the model of a similar annual event in Israel, would be the perfect way for talented students to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut through music.
Since then, Gray Academy – and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate before it – has hosted this annual competition that invites students in Grades 5 through 12 to write and perform their own original songs before a live audience.
Through the decades, the Yom Ha’atzmaut Song Festival has been a highlight of the school year, showcasing the incredible talents of our students and delighting audiences with songs that celebrate Israel and Jewish themes.
