אל על | אטמוספירה

“I’ve made my creative fantasy come true” With a new international album coming out, a hit single, and the third edition of her own festival taking place this month, artist and singer Marina Maximilian talks about her journey so far - working with her partner, motherhood, and her dream of performing in Europe \ By Maya Cohen

There aren’t many people you could describe as the personification of a festival – and yet Marina Maximilian is exactly that. The Israeli public fell in love with her in the Kokhav Nolad music competition show thanks to her hypnotizingly beautiful performances, and the love has kept on growing ever since. Now 35, Maximilian has established herself as a fully-fledged artist with more than one string to her bow. The third edition of her “Maximilian Festival” is happening on January 26 th at the Hangar 11 in Tel Aviv. The festival is the singer’s attempt to combine her love of art, music, and cultures from everywhere in the world into one single show. Musicians and artists will join her on stage for this night of artistic celebration, organized with the support of Cupra, the brand behind the famous Primavera Sound festival. “I’ve managed to make my creative fantasy come true”, she says with a smile, when I ask her about the festival. “I’ve created a one-night mosaic of things I love: visual art installations and performances by guest artists from different cultural backgrounds.

The festival’s unifying theme this year is the concept of roots, and there’ll be tons of surprises in the show as well. I love surprises. A lot of the content is similar to that of the festival from a few months ago. Tickets were quickly sold out and lots of people didn’t get to come, so this is another opportunity for them to see the show. Corinne Allal will be there, as well as the Flamenco Trio, a female choir with singers from countries of the ex-Soviet Union, the Italian dancer Andrea Costanzo Martini, and more. After the show, there’ll be an afterparty with a DJ, and before it, an art installation will welcome people as they arrive. I’ve managed to combine all the things I fill my life with and add them to the main show that includes the songs that I perform with my band. It’s a three hour experience unlike no other”. How did the idea for the festival come about? “Lately, I was feeling like I had achieved many of my artistic goals and that I had managed to make my voice heard. I wanted to use my voice to open doors

"I wanted to pass on the cultural gifts that I received as a child – the beautiful folk music from the countries of the Soviet Union, classical music, jazz, etc.”

Photo: Daniel Kaminski

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ATMOSPHERE JANUARY 2023